Samuel Monroe Jr. on life support after eight months untreated
Samuel Monroe Jr. is on life support after a meningitis infection was repeatedly misdiagnosed and left untreated for eight months. Shawna Stewart said he contracted the illness 18 months ago while filming in Las Vegas, and the family is now confronting care costs tied to multiple hospital stays and rehab.
Shawna Stewart on the misdiagnosis
“He went to several different hospitals, where his condition was repeatedly misdiagnosed and because of this negligence, the meningitis went untreated for eight months,” Shawna Stewart said. By the time doctors diagnosed him properly, she said the infection had spread “not only to his spine but also to his brain.”
That sequence explains why the case has moved beyond a medical crisis into a long-term care problem. Monroe has spent the last nine months in multiple hospitals and two rehabilitation centers, and the family says the financial strain has been immense.
GoFundMe at $50,000
The family launched a GoFundMe on Monday with a $50,000 goal, and it had reached 7% at the time of the request. The fundraiser says Monroe will require around-the-clock care if he regains consciousness and is removed from life support, which makes the money raised immediately practical rather than symbolic.
Tayonna Stewart wrote that “As the whole family and friends do not want to think negative in the event that Samuel is taken home by God” and that “Any funds raise would be put towards a proper and respectful celebration of life for his family, friends and fans to attend.” Joyce Patton also asked for prayers on Facebook, writing, “Please pray for Samuel Monroe Jr. my son who is now on life support.”
From 1993 roles to 2023 credits
Monroe’s name carries weight because of a 1990s film run that included Menace II Society and Tales from the Hood, along with credits in Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, What Goes Around Comes Around, Set It Off and The Players Club. His first acting gig came in 1993 opposite Patti LaBelle on Out All Night, and he also appeared in the 2023 films Packz and Payment Received.
Kurt Alexander contributed $1,000 to the GoFundMe, a small but visible signal of how public support is already being converted into direct financial help. For readers who know Monroe from his 1990s work, the immediate issue is not nostalgia; it is whether the family can cover the kind of care the fundraiser says he may need after life support.
