Why has Erik Jensen's family launched a GoFundMe campaign for his cancer treatment despite his lucrative career? Explained

Erik Jensen, known for portraying Dr. Stephen Edwards on The Walking Dead, has been diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer. This heartbreaking news was posted on a GoFundMe page by his wife, actress and writer Jessica Blank, who has organized the fundraiser.

At the time of writing this article, the fundraiser had managed to collect $119,176 from 825 donations, against their goal of $300K.

The GoFundMe note explained that Erik Jensen and his family needed community support to help the actor get through the treatment, "keep their home," and "maintain some sort of stability" for his daughter, Sadie.

Given that the actor's career graph has prolific names like The Walking Dead, Mr. Robot, and Mindhunter, among others, admittedly, for many fans, this move to seek community support has come across as a surprise. However, the GoFundMe page mentioned that an “extremely precarious financial position” had compelled the family to opt for public support.

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Erik Jensen's cancer has metastasized to his liver, fundraiser page details the reason for seeking help

Describing the Mr. Robot actor and his wife as “full-time freelance artists,” the fundraiser page pointed out that they lack the steadiness of “long-term commercial work.”

It further states how the shortage of residuals from streaming, Erik Jensen's aneurysm, and the Hollywood twin strikes have resulted in an “extremely precarious financial position” for the actor’s family. For the past 23 years, they did receive health insurance via SAG (and at times WGA) but currently, Erik Jensen faces the “serious risk of losing their insurance.”

The situation was detailed as:

"Erik wants to work through as much of his treatment as possible, but they are facing massive medical costs (co-pays, treatments not covered by insurance) and all the additional expenses associated with intensive treatment. The family has gotten health insurance through SAG (and occasionally WGA) for the past 23 years."

It added:

"Due to the strikes, the nonexistence of streaming residuals, and the fact that Erik may be recovering from major surgery during the earnings period to qualify for SAG insurance, they are facing a serious risk of losing their insurance."

The note went on to add that The Walking Dead actor had been “incredibly resilient and strong” throughout this trying time, working all the while. It was also mentioned that Jensen’s cancer detection came after he survived a brain aneurysm less than two years back.

The GoFundMe page described him as “a deeply devoted father to 13-year-old Sadie,” and an “incredible husband to Jessica, his partner in art and life for the last 23 years.” It also added that the cancer had metastasized to his liver, and his medical team will try to shrink his tumors enough to perform two major surgeries and "get them all out."

Notably, Scott M. Gimple, showrunner and co-executive producer of The Walking Dead, also shared the GoFundMe note on X, urging people to help “one of TWD’s own.”

Colorectal cancer, or colon cancer, in short, is a serious disease. However, it is highly treatable when the cancer is localized to the bowel. Surgery is the primary treatment avenue, and roughly 50% of patients get cured. If a recurrence happens after surgery, that’s when it can turn dangerous or life-threatening.

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Apart from The Walking Dead and Mr. Robot, Erik Jensen is also known for his portrayal of Dr. Moritz in three episodes of Netflix’s Mindhunter. The Brooklyn resident appeared as A.D.A. Jeffrey Sinclair in seven episodes of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as well.

Recently, Erik Jensen performed in The Collaboration, a Broadway venture that also starred Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope.