'The Walking Dead' Actor Erik Jensen Diagnosed With Stage 4 Cancer

The actor, who starred as Dr. Steven Edwards on 'The Walking Dead,' was diagnosed with cancer less than two years after surviving a brain aneurysm.

By Allison Schonter

'The Walking Dead' Actor Erik Jensen Diagnosed With Stage 4 CancerErik Jensen, an actor who appeared on Season 5 of AMC's The Walking Dead and also starred on Mr. Robot, has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Jensen's wife, Jessica Blank, shared in a GoFundMe page fundraiser earlier this month that "after miraculously surviving a brain aneurysm just a year and a half ago," the 53-year-old actor was recently diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer.

Although Black noted that Jensen's cancer "has metastasized to his liver," she said her husband is "young and strong" and his doctors believe they "have a shot at shrinking the tumors enough to do two very major surgeries and get them all out." She went on to note that "Stage IV is not a death sentence, Erik is determined to make it through this, and he's working incredibly hard to stay positive and fight for the shot that his doctors know he has," adding, "he is incredibly resilient and strong; Erik is a survivor. We know he can make it through this, come out the other side, and continue to make great work and support his community for years to come."

Sharing that Jensen "and his family are in for the fight of their lives," the fundraiser is hoping to raise $300,000 in total to help support the family "through the next year, pay for treatment to fight his cancer, keep their home, and maintain some sort of stability" for their 13-year-old daughter Sadie. The page notes that following Jensen's aneurysm and cancer diagnosis, as well as the Hollywood strikes, his family is now "in an extremely precarious financial position and they need a lot of help." The page has since raised nearly $120,000.

"Erik is young, with a beloved young family, and has so much more good work to do in the world. Jess is being a warrior--a full time caregiver, full time artist, a mom, and as you can imagine, 'producing' the hell out of his care team at Memorial Sloan Kettering," the page reads. "Erik can survive this-- but they won't be able to make it through without support. We are so grateful in advance for whatever you can give."

Jensen, whose credits include For Life and The Equalizer, among others, is perhaps best known for his role in The Walking Dead. The actor starred as Dr. Steven Edwards, a survivor of the outbreak and a doctor at a post-apocalyptic Grady Memorial Hospital, where Emily Kinney's Beth Greene wound up in Season 5. Amid his diagnosis, many connected to the hit show have rallied their support around Jensen, including executive producer Scott Gimple, who posted a link to Jensen's GoFundMe page on X (formerly Twitter) with a message reading, "One of TWD's own could use a little help. Erik Jensen, who played Dr. Steven Edwards in S5 was just diagnosed with cancer, and it's a time of great uncertainty for him and his family."

0comments

Related:

Start the Conversation

of