Mark Patton, who starred in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge’ in the 1980s, has revealed he has AIDS and is in a Mexican hospital where he said he needs help with medical bills.
Patton was 40 when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1999 and had just a year to live, he said in a recent Instagram post about the so-called “death sentence.”
Now aged 63, Patton was hospitalized in Mexico, where he lives, where his manager Peter Valderrama says the actor has “been ill for quite some time,” according to a GoFundMe page.
Patton was thought to be experiencing side effects from COVID-19, but Valderrama revealed he’s dealing with “clearly AIDS-related ailments.”
In a statement on the GoFundMe page, Patton asks his fans for help with his medical bills, specifically for help with transportation to an American hospital.
Mark Patton, who starred in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge’ in the 1980s, announced he had AIDS at a hospital in Mexico where he needed help with medical bills
Patton was 40 when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1999 and had just a year to live, he said in a recent Instagram post about the so-called “death sentence.”
As of Saturday night, more than $27,000 had been raised, surpassing the $18,000 goal listed on the GoFundMe account.
Patton lives with his husband Hector Morales Mondragon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they run an art gallery, but he remains a regular at horror conventions.
Patton starred in the second part of 1985’s Nightmare on Elm Street as Jesse Walsh, the film’s only male lead, opposite Freddy Krueger. The other main characters of the Elm Street horror franchise were all female.
Patton has had roles in other films, including Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean with Cher in 1982, and Family Possessions in 2016. And in 2019, he shared his life story in the documentary Scream, Queen! My nightmare on Elm Street.”
But recently Patton was reportedly forced to cancel several scheduled gigs and has now “decided to go public with his news in the hope that his community might be able to help,” his manager Valderrama wrote on his behalf.
“As his fans know very well, Mark takes his events very seriously and appreciates every opportunity to meet with them in person – especially after the last few years where Covid has seriously impacted those opportunities.”
Mark has been really looking forward to this show for quite some time but unfortunately his health has deteriorated drastically.’
He has been ill for quite some time – originally thought to be aftershocks from Covid and some severe infections that could potentially be addressed with care and calm. But now he’s clearly treating AIDS-related diseases.
“Mark is currently in a Mexican hospital where they speak very little English – and they are absolutely overwhelmed with Covid cases there,” Valderrama wrote.
“He needs to be transported to an American hospital down there where he can receive more specialized care in a safer environment. For that we must humbly ask for help.”
Patton played the role of Jesse Walsh in the second part of Nightmare on Elm Street in 1985
Patton also shared his life story in the documentary Scream, Queen! My nightmare on Elm Street.” He was a regular at horror conventions but had to cancel recent appearances
In his own statement posted on the account page, Patton wrote:
“I just want to be healthy and at home with my family. I need to go to the American Hospital in Mexico where they can give me the treatment I desperately need. The American Hospital is $300 a day with nurses, doctors, and medication. The Mexican hospital is overwhelmed with Covid and I’m too compromised to stay here.
“I’ve faced these medical challenges before and I know I still have a lot to struggle for – but the past few years have been financially crippling for me.
I’ve always lived by the month and have struggled with doctor visits since October. If someone can make a contribution, it would give me a life-saving option to recover in a place that is appropriate for my condition.’
The first reported cases of AIDS were documented in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until 1995 that doctors began successfully treating AIDS with a combination of drugs. There is no cure yet, but with treatment people can reduce the amount of the virus in their bodies.
However, people with AIDS are more susceptible to “opportunistic infections (OIs)” because they have a compromised immune system.