Mark Patton, an American interior designer and out actor best known for his starring role on A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, has been hospitalized due to AIDS-related ailments.A GoFundMe page was set up by Patton’s manger, Peter Valderrama, who apologized for a Chicago show Patton had to cancel due to the hospitalization.
Writing that Patton “has been ill for quite some time now,” Valderrama noted they originally believed the sickness was the aftershocks of COVID and could be managed with some rest and recuperation.While Patton initially wanted to keep the news private, the cancellation of events prompted him to release the news in hopes he could find some help.The fundraiser notes that Patton is currently in a Mexican hospital (he owns and operates an art store with his partner in Puerto Vallarta) that is “completely overcome with COVID cases.” Communication at the hospital is a problem as staff speak little English, according to Valderrama.The fundraiser asks for donations to transport Patton to an American hospital in Mexico where he can receive “more specialized care in a safer setting.”A statement from Patton on the fundraiser page says, “Basically I am asking for help I will not be embarrassed… I just want to be healthy and at home with family.”Donations not only help with the transfer, but also help cover the $300 a day cost of the American hospital.
Patton also notes that he is “too compromised” to remain where he is.After initially being diagnosed with AIDS in 1999 and given only a year to live, Patton says, “I have faced these medical challenges before and I know I have a lot of fight left in me — but the last few years have been crippling for me financially.