Two years after suffering a debilitating stroke, American Pickers star Frank Fritz reportedly relies on “skilled nursing care” that will be “long-term.”

Fritz’s Conservatorship And Guardianship

Fritz, 60, suffered a stroke at his Le Claire, Iowa home back in July of 2022. Since then, he has been under a conservatorship and a guardianship. He has also been in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation facilities.

Fritz’s conservator is MidWestOne Bank, and his guardian is his close friend Chris Davis.

MidWestOne bank is reportedly demanding that Fritz’s finances be transferred to them because he still needs “skilled” and “long-term” nursing care. Court papers obtained by The Sun show that Fritz has “cash assets and credit accounts” at a separate bank. 

A Conservator’s Initial Plan was filed for Fritz in November of 2022. It states that his assets would be transferred to MidWestOne so that they could “invest to start generating income” to Fritz.

“Since the approval of the plan, the Conservator has repeatedly contacted [the bank] seeking access to the Protected Party’s funds, credit card statements and income tax documents to no avail,” the court papers read.

Court Papers Continue

The papers add that the bank “repeatedly failed to respond to the Conservator.” The bank also allegedly “refused to provide access to Mr. Fritz’s assets and documentation, and otherwise ignored the Conservator’s authority, the orders of this court, and the laws of the state of Iowa.”

“[Frank] continues to rely on long-term skilled nursing care, so it is imperative that his assets are properly managed and wisely invested to support his long-term needs,” the court documents continued. “The Protected Party no longer has any need for consumer credit cards and any accounts that remain open are susceptible to fraud, especially since the Conservator is not allowed access to them to review charges.”

MidWest bank is reportedly asking that “the court should issue an order compelling [the bank] to release all of Frank Fritz’s funds to the Conservator, close all of Frank Fritz’s credit card accounts, provide the Conservator with Frank Fritz’s income tax documents for 2023, and change the mailing address for future income tax documents to the Conservator’s address.”

Judge Responds

During a hearing last week, a judge ordered the bank to respond to the conservator. The judge additionally ordered that the bank provide access to all of Fritz’s bank accounts and credit cards.

“Because of his stroke, Mr. Fritz’s decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to care for his own safety or to provide for necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, or medical care without which physical injury or illness may occur,” court documents stated at the time.

“Mr. Fritz’s decision­-making capacity is so impaired that he is unable to make, communicate, or carry out important decisions concerning his own financial affairs,” the papers continued. “Decisions must be made for Mr. Fritz’s care and placement while he continues to recover and receive treatment for his injuries.  Appointment of a guardian and conservator is necessary to avoid immediate harm to him.”

The guardian agreed to help Fritz with his Crohn’s disease treatment. He also agreed to help him with daily activities like grocery shopping, transportation, cooking, and more.

Fritz’s Friend Speaks Out

Two months after Fritz’s stroke, a friend updated fans on his condition.

“Frank continues to improve daily. You’re never 100 percent after a stroke, but he’s fine. He’s aware of what’s going on,” this friend said. “If he were sitting here right now, you could sit and talk to him. He’s the same old Frank.”

Sadly, Fritz has been confined to a wheelchair since his stroke.

“He can walk, but he’s always going to need the wheelchair because he can’t walk long distances,” the friend said. “Basically, you lose motion. He lost motion. A stroke can affect your left or your right side, it affected his right side.”

Fritz has not appeared on American Pickers since March of 2020. At the time, he was taking a hiatus from the show to recover from back surgery.

This has clearly been a very difficult few years for Fritz. Please join us in saying a prayer for him!

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