Erik Jensen in front of a theater in New York in 2022.
Photo: Getty Images, Bruce Glikas. All rights reserved.
“The Walking Dead” actor Erik Jensen has been diagnosed with colon cancer. The disease is said to be in its fourth stage and therefore advanced.
Wife Jessica Blank collects donations
A fundraising campaign was launched for Jensen, who plays doctor Steven Edwards in the zombie series “The Walking Dead”. “GoFundMe” brought to life. Wife Jessica Blank set this up and made the information about her husband public because she believes this is the only way she can cover the high medical costs.
Although the family currently has health insurance through the actors’ union “SAG”, there is a possibility that they could lose this protection, says Blank. The reason for this: The union would continue to be on strike for higher wages and in the future Erik Jensen could not be sure that he would be able to go back to work immediately after the upcoming operation. The family therefore has to struggle with increasing expenses and hardly any income.
The goal of the fundraiser is to raise $300,000, according to Blank’s wishes. They have already raised $119,291.
Cancer has already spread
As part of the appeal for donations, Jensen’s wife also commented on her husband’s illness and explained that the cancer had already metastasized to the liver. But: “His doctors see an opportunity to shrink the tumors so much that they can be removed in two major operations.” She also wanted to encourage her husband: “Stage 4 is not a death sentence,” said Blank.
Erik Jensen suffered a brain aneurysm a year and a half ago. In an interview with Broadway News, he explained that only half of those affected would survive. He, in turn, had no restrictions whatsoever – physically or mentally – and was back on theater stages just a few weeks later.