Erik Jensen, best known for his roles on The Walking Dead, Mr. Robot, and For Life, was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer — more broadly known as colon cancer — around a year and a half after surviving a brain aneurysm, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his wife, Jessica Blank, in mid-October.
Jensen played Dr. Steven Edwards during The Walking Dead’s fifth season, which began airing in 2014. He was around for three episodes as the lone doctor living with a group of Atlanta Police Department officers, who resided at the city’s Grady Memorial Hospital.
Beth Greene, a primary protagonist, had been abducted by the group while she and Daryl Dixon were swarmed by Walkers when they were separated from Rick Grimes and the rest of the main heroes. Beth woke up at the hospital with an IV attached to her, and Dawn Lerner, the cop in charge of the settlement, told Beth she owed them for saving her life.
Beth worked as Dr. Edwards’ assistant for a few episodes and they had several interactions, including when the latter defended Beth from Gorman’s sexual advances. He also had her unknowingly cause Dr. Gavin Trevitt to overdose and die. Dr. Trevitt had been brought into the hospital in dire need of medical attention, something Dawn wanted to give him to increase the number of doctors they had at their disposal.
But, Dr. Edwards had other plans. He elected to kill his former colleague to secure his indispensable position. Regardless, both Dr. Edwards and Beth’s stories ended during episode 8 when a hostage trade between the main protagonists and the cops went horribly wrong.
After Dawn forced Beth’s new friend Noah to stay at the hospital, Beth used a pair of scissors to stab Dawn, and the hospital’s leader reacted by shooting Beth in the head — killing her. As both groups stood in utter shock, Daryl repaid the favor and killed Dawn. An armistice was called between the two parties, and Dr. Edwards ultimately chose to stay at Grady Memorial Hospital with the rest of the remaining police officers.
We never saw Dr. Edwards again.
His fate was unclear until Greg Nicotero, one of The Walking Dead‘s directors and executive producers, as well as its special makeup effects supervisor, revealed in a Q&A in 2020 that Dr. Edwards, along with the rest of the hospital’s residents, were all dead. He didn’t share how they met their end, however.
At the time of this writing, Jensen’s GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $120,000 of its $300,000 goal in seven days. “Stage IV is not a death sentence,” the campaign reads. “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.”
If you’re interested in donating to Jensen’s cancer battle, or to learn more about it, you can check out the GoFundMe page by tapping or clicking here.
