Every season of Discovery’s Deadliest Catch has it’s share of casualties, and this season has been no exception. One of the “men down” this time around is F/V Northwestern Relief Skipper/Deckboss/Cook/Chief Engineer and Captain Sig Hansen’s younger brother Edgar Hansen. Edgar was forced to leave the Northwestern due to pain from a spinal condition that had been worsening for years. After feeling that Discovery didn’t do a good job of clarifying exactly what was medically wrong with him, Edgar took to Facebook to share X-rays and explain in depth:
A lot of you are asking about my neck..the show didnt explain it well..ruptured disc under neck vertebrae #8..and arthritis in 6and 7 with deteriorating disc between..So i got the steroid shot in Nov..wore off 3 weeks ago..got another last week n now on thurs..this is the needle going into the nerve under #8 in my neck..for the 2nd week in a row..then the dye n steroid goin in..then u see it traveling down th collar bone towards the arm…RELIEF!!!! Its been an excruciating 3 weeks..finally ill get some sleep..
Here are the rather startling photos:
In the comments section Edgar expressed appreciation to those concerned and assured detractors that he was not looking for sympathy:
Thanks for the good thoughts..im not looking for pitty..i do want the people out there who have had this pain to understand that i was on a crab boat at the time…n someone close to me thought i was full of sh!t(who shall remain nameless) …that was n is the most pain ive ever been in…evident that my time is running short…i need to make some changes..so no pitty..just a nod n say yep…i feel ur pain. That is all..got a plane to catch in 5 hrs..Montana here i come:)
Edgar’s bio on the F/V Northwestern website seems to suggest that he is considering leaving the fishing life behind for good:
Recently, Edgar has begun to physically break down under the pressures of the deck and prioritize his family at home over his catch at sea. Since there’s not much room to move up with Sig planted firmly in the wheelhouse, it’s becoming clear that Edgar has to make some major life decisions.
I’ve been #TeamNorthwestern since waaaay early on and I hate to hear about Edgar’s suffering. We here at Starcasm extend our best wishes and hope that he is able to find some sort of treatment to help bring him permanent relief.
