Let's Help Hansen Fight!
Donation protected
Please help Eric Hansen or “Hansen” as he’s known to his friends.
A special friend's family really needs your help. A young man of 54 in Yakima, Washington. This family is going through a lot, Stage IV Lung Cancer and brain tumors. Read more below. The financial burden we can help with.
Donations are needed to help pay Hansen's medical expenses and to get through this terrible time. Any and all donations are helpful, $5, $10 it all adds up. The bills are adding up quickly. Treasa cannot work and leave Hansen alone, so there is no income and the medical bills keep coming.
Click the "Read Latest Updates" button above/below for updates, medical documentation and to follow Hansen on his journey.
Eric and Treasa Hansen
This is Hansen in 2011 working the Bering Sea Crab Tour in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Meet "Hansen"
(For Those of You Who Don’t Know Him)
In 2011 or 2012, Eric was having episodes of not being able to speak correctly and having trouble seeing. His wife, Treasa, who he has been married to for 22 years, thinking he was having a stroke took him to the doctor. The doctors initially thought Eric was having migraines.
A change of doctors in October of 2013 discovered a tumor the size of a golf ball in his brain causing seizures, not migraines. November 14th, 2013, after 10 hours of surgery, this tumor was successfully removed. It was non-cancerous.
After the surgery, there was a lot of rehab, the seizures continued. Eric went for check-ups monthly, then annually, and finally every other year, as things were going well.
May 30th, 2017, on Eric’s annual visit to the doctor, the doctor said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is the tumor I removed three years ago looks great and has not returned. The bad news is you have 28 new tumors.”
After further testing, the doctors discovered a cancerous mass in Eric’s left lung. The mass in the lung is sending cancerous tumors to his brain, Stage IV lung cancer. Both the brain tumors and lung tumor are inoperable at this time. The doctors are currently working on developing a plan of treatment.
Everyone is devastated by this life-threatening prognosis. His treatments, although covered by a little insurance, will still be costly. Travel expenses, treatments, medications, and unforeseen expenses will add up quickly. As you can imagine, the financial burden associated with this type of diagnosis is astronomical.
WE CAN HELP
Hansen can no longer work due to the symptoms caused by this condition. He cannot be left alone, and Treasa can’t, and won’t, leave him to go to work right now.
Please consider donating to help support Hansen and Treasa with the medical costs and financial burden this has created in their life. Any amount will help. If you are unable to donate at this time, please share, share, share this post. And pray, all prayers are greatly appreciated.
Hansen’s take on things...
“I’m probably at life number five, six, or...seven at the max.
“I don’t look at it like there are dozens of tumors that have control of me. They aren’t even welcome here and get pretty rude treatment every day. Right now, they are probably thinking about leaving, because they hate it so much.
“I had a few concussions as a kid, did some partying, and was deprived of sleep quite a few nights... So it was never perfect.
“When you have some advance notice, you get a chance to think about what you want to accomplish. What kind of things you want to leave behind or what you want to be remembered for. It gives you a purpose.
“It will be easy to go if, at the last moment, I am proud of what I have accomplished.
“I owe nobody anything. My wife is able to support herself and can keep the house once she can work again.
“Radiation and chemotherapy are just one way of fighting cancer but not the only way. I cut out smoking right away, have changed my diet, take lots of supplements, stay busy, and get lots of sunshine.
“I can’t just lie around and do what the doctors tell me to!
“Luckily, I’ve been in danger quite a bit, so this really isn’t that big of a deal. Just because I “could possibly” die doesn’t mean I’m going to.”
Hansen fished for 17 years: F/V Ocean Ballad, F/V Nordic Monarch, F/V Lady Kodiak, and the F/V Aleutian Ballad to name a few of the boats he was on. He could sometimes be found at Pacific Seafood between seasons.
Eric doesn’t believe that he is done living and fights for life every day. Having had a few close calls while crab fishing in the Bering Sea, he knows that being in “dire straits” can just be a good story some day.
Hansen wrote this letter to his doctor before the surgery in 2013.
“I was out of school and working full time at 15 years old. When I was 14, my dad dropped me off in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and told me to go get a job, which started my career as a crab fisherman.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life, and I’ve been injured quite a bit, both physically and emotionally.
“In 1990, I quit drinking, got divorced, and lost everything I had. It was a rough time for me. I prayed a lot and went to a lot of AA meetings, where I met Paul Grant.
“Paul was a gruff biker type with a Fu Manchu mustache and an AC/DC t-shirt. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but Paul did a lot for me during a tough time in my life, and today I consider him to be the only true friend I’ve ever had besides my wife, my mother, and God.
“Later, I got a job working on a halibut and black cod longliner in Alaska. We worked 21-hour days with no breaks and averaged 2 1/2 hours of sleep at night. I won’t bore you with those details either, but it was so painful and miserable that I used to hope that God would strike me dead, so I would not have to endure another minute!
“The Alaska DF&W put an observer on the boat who used to stand at the rail with me, in wind and spray and tell jokes and stories after his shift was over. He offered a lot of support, and encouragement, and convinced me that I would make it. I don’t remember his name.
“I later met a woman who has inspired and supported me through all the ups and downs and believed in me and all my kooky ideas and projects. She has been with me for 25 years and will no doubt be there through the surgery and recovery. She always is.
“The reason I tell you these stories is because I believe, that at times, I only made it through because someone did something so exemplary and selfless, so profound and generous to help me that there were actually Angels in my life.
“Today, when I see someone in pain or suffering, I try to give them the best of whatever I can to ease their pain or inspire them to get up and move forward.
“Every day that you go to work, you have the awesome burden and incredible fulfillment of being someone’s Angel, like it or not.
“I’ve been hit in the head a few times, and I’ve put my brain through quite a bit of unnecessary rigor, so please take care while you’re in there. I believe you have the confidence and skill to pull this off impeccably, and I’m behind you 100%.
“In fact, already, I consider you my fourth Angel.”
Eric
Eric, “Hansen” is currently writing a collection of stories about his 17 years crab fishing and says, “I’m not going anywhere until it’s finished.
Eric puts a lot of effort into survival, and he isn’t convinced that his life will be shortened, at all.
Having survived a recent brain surgery, Eric has a way of looking at bad news.
Please help Eric keep up the good fight.
For the Hansen family, thank you so much.
More about Hansen's fishing career here.
#DeadliestCatch #HelpHansenFight
A special friend's family really needs your help. A young man of 54 in Yakima, Washington. This family is going through a lot, Stage IV Lung Cancer and brain tumors. Read more below. The financial burden we can help with.
Donations are needed to help pay Hansen's medical expenses and to get through this terrible time. Any and all donations are helpful, $5, $10 it all adds up. The bills are adding up quickly. Treasa cannot work and leave Hansen alone, so there is no income and the medical bills keep coming.
Click the "Read Latest Updates" button above/below for updates, medical documentation and to follow Hansen on his journey.
Eric and Treasa Hansen
This is Hansen in 2011 working the Bering Sea Crab Tour in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Meet "Hansen"
(For Those of You Who Don’t Know Him)
In 2011 or 2012, Eric was having episodes of not being able to speak correctly and having trouble seeing. His wife, Treasa, who he has been married to for 22 years, thinking he was having a stroke took him to the doctor. The doctors initially thought Eric was having migraines.
A change of doctors in October of 2013 discovered a tumor the size of a golf ball in his brain causing seizures, not migraines. November 14th, 2013, after 10 hours of surgery, this tumor was successfully removed. It was non-cancerous.
After the surgery, there was a lot of rehab, the seizures continued. Eric went for check-ups monthly, then annually, and finally every other year, as things were going well.
May 30th, 2017, on Eric’s annual visit to the doctor, the doctor said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is the tumor I removed three years ago looks great and has not returned. The bad news is you have 28 new tumors.”
After further testing, the doctors discovered a cancerous mass in Eric’s left lung. The mass in the lung is sending cancerous tumors to his brain, Stage IV lung cancer. Both the brain tumors and lung tumor are inoperable at this time. The doctors are currently working on developing a plan of treatment.
Everyone is devastated by this life-threatening prognosis. His treatments, although covered by a little insurance, will still be costly. Travel expenses, treatments, medications, and unforeseen expenses will add up quickly. As you can imagine, the financial burden associated with this type of diagnosis is astronomical.
WE CAN HELP
Hansen can no longer work due to the symptoms caused by this condition. He cannot be left alone, and Treasa can’t, and won’t, leave him to go to work right now.
Please consider donating to help support Hansen and Treasa with the medical costs and financial burden this has created in their life. Any amount will help. If you are unable to donate at this time, please share, share, share this post. And pray, all prayers are greatly appreciated.
Hansen’s take on things...
“I’m probably at life number five, six, or...seven at the max.
“I don’t look at it like there are dozens of tumors that have control of me. They aren’t even welcome here and get pretty rude treatment every day. Right now, they are probably thinking about leaving, because they hate it so much.
“I had a few concussions as a kid, did some partying, and was deprived of sleep quite a few nights... So it was never perfect.
“When you have some advance notice, you get a chance to think about what you want to accomplish. What kind of things you want to leave behind or what you want to be remembered for. It gives you a purpose.
“It will be easy to go if, at the last moment, I am proud of what I have accomplished.
“I owe nobody anything. My wife is able to support herself and can keep the house once she can work again.
“Radiation and chemotherapy are just one way of fighting cancer but not the only way. I cut out smoking right away, have changed my diet, take lots of supplements, stay busy, and get lots of sunshine.
“I can’t just lie around and do what the doctors tell me to!
“Luckily, I’ve been in danger quite a bit, so this really isn’t that big of a deal. Just because I “could possibly” die doesn’t mean I’m going to.”
Hansen fished for 17 years: F/V Ocean Ballad, F/V Nordic Monarch, F/V Lady Kodiak, and the F/V Aleutian Ballad to name a few of the boats he was on. He could sometimes be found at Pacific Seafood between seasons.
Eric doesn’t believe that he is done living and fights for life every day. Having had a few close calls while crab fishing in the Bering Sea, he knows that being in “dire straits” can just be a good story some day.
Hansen wrote this letter to his doctor before the surgery in 2013.
“I was out of school and working full time at 15 years old. When I was 14, my dad dropped me off in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and told me to go get a job, which started my career as a crab fisherman.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life, and I’ve been injured quite a bit, both physically and emotionally.
“In 1990, I quit drinking, got divorced, and lost everything I had. It was a rough time for me. I prayed a lot and went to a lot of AA meetings, where I met Paul Grant.
“Paul was a gruff biker type with a Fu Manchu mustache and an AC/DC t-shirt. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but Paul did a lot for me during a tough time in my life, and today I consider him to be the only true friend I’ve ever had besides my wife, my mother, and God.
“Later, I got a job working on a halibut and black cod longliner in Alaska. We worked 21-hour days with no breaks and averaged 2 1/2 hours of sleep at night. I won’t bore you with those details either, but it was so painful and miserable that I used to hope that God would strike me dead, so I would not have to endure another minute!
“The Alaska DF&W put an observer on the boat who used to stand at the rail with me, in wind and spray and tell jokes and stories after his shift was over. He offered a lot of support, and encouragement, and convinced me that I would make it. I don’t remember his name.
“I later met a woman who has inspired and supported me through all the ups and downs and believed in me and all my kooky ideas and projects. She has been with me for 25 years and will no doubt be there through the surgery and recovery. She always is.
“The reason I tell you these stories is because I believe, that at times, I only made it through because someone did something so exemplary and selfless, so profound and generous to help me that there were actually Angels in my life.
“Today, when I see someone in pain or suffering, I try to give them the best of whatever I can to ease their pain or inspire them to get up and move forward.
“Every day that you go to work, you have the awesome burden and incredible fulfillment of being someone’s Angel, like it or not.
“I’ve been hit in the head a few times, and I’ve put my brain through quite a bit of unnecessary rigor, so please take care while you’re in there. I believe you have the confidence and skill to pull this off impeccably, and I’m behind you 100%.
“In fact, already, I consider you my fourth Angel.”
Eric
Eric, “Hansen” is currently writing a collection of stories about his 17 years crab fishing and says, “I’m not going anywhere until it’s finished.
Eric puts a lot of effort into survival, and he isn’t convinced that his life will be shortened, at all.
Having survived a recent brain surgery, Eric has a way of looking at bad news.
Please help Eric keep up the good fight.
For the Hansen family, thank you so much.
More about Hansen's fishing career here.
#DeadliestCatch #HelpHansenFight
Organizer and beneficiary
Patti H Smile-Already
Organizer
Silver Springs, FL
Treasa Hansen
Beneficiary
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