Help Jens' family bring his body home from Mexico

Hello to everybody reading this. I was a close friend of Jens, whose life ended tragically while visiting family in Mexico. Within minutes the day I met Jens, we became close friends and I knew in that moment that he was special. He had a beautiful heart, kind and and so incredibly talented. Even though there is a 30 year age difference, he with grace and wisdom, set the foundation for our friendship without ever considering the difference between he and I. He is forever engraved in my heart. "Much love Jens"

I'm trying to help his family give him a proper funeral and bring his body back from Mexico. What happened to him in Mexico was horrible and my sweet friend was by himself in a hotel room when his life was tragically taken from us. His family needs all the support they can get to help with finances to bring him home. The expenses are rapidly increasing by the day. The family just wants to bring him home to Wisconsin from Mexico.

Statement from the family:
“Our family took Jens to Mexico in May to visit his sister and in hopes of finding ibogaine treatment which had worked for him once before. What we didn’t fully understand was how powerful the fentanyl in his system had become. His final weeks were a painful nightmare for him and for our family. We found a treatment center that accepted him, but when he arrived and found out the cost, he said he couldn’t allow his family to spend that and he left. We know he found drugs as well as people who took advantage of his weak state. Right now, we know that he died of carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation, but ultimately it was his addiction that put him in harm's way. There is an ongoing investigation, and it will be a long time before we get the whole story. 

Because of all this, Jens’ sister has had to make multiple trips to Tijuana, spending days reliving this nightmare. There will be considerable expenses to bring Jens home to Wisconsin. It hurts to no end to know that he would be finished with his treatment by now, had he accepted the family’s help, and now that same amount or more will be spent on funeral expenses.”

About Jens
Jens Christian Pedersen was born on June 15, 1986 and left this world on June 4, 2021. He was born on Father’s Day, at home, into the arms of his devoted mother and relieved father, and to his somewhat nauseous, but mostly excited sisters and his aunt Margo. He was so loved from the start. 

Jens contributed so much to this world: he was an artist, musician, writer, teacher, and grower. He was on a spiritual quest and loved doing yoga, reading and longed to travel the world. Jens had a huge heart and loved his family and friend-family with every ounce of his being. He made friends more easily than anyone and shined so brightly when sharing his gifts with others. We witnessed his joy in recent years while creating his art, playing the guitar, learning tattooing, pruning hemp plants, and giving art lessons to his nieces. 

It’s no secret that Jens suffered from a relentless addiction to opiates. He fought these demons with all that he had, desperate to be free of the pain they caused his body and mind. No help could be found from the systems in our country that consider people like Jens unworthy of healthcare. The family hopes to use Jens’ art to raise funds to help others who need the help Jens needed. Any excess funds from this drive will help start this work.

As Jens loved to say, “much love” to all who grieve along with us.