Ben Watkins of Master Chef Junior died due to cancer. The 14-year-old boy died last Monday. He struggled with a rare form of cancer for over a year.
Ben Watkins' relatives are grieving over their loss of the family's superhero.
Ben's parents died in 2017 after a domestic violence incident. Since then, the 14-year-old Master Chef Junior contender lived with his relatives.
Ben Watkins was diagnosed with cancer
Before the Master Chef Junior contender's 13th birthday, he was diagnosed with Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma. This type of cancer is extremely rare. According to People, the rare soft tissue tumor only occurs in a small number of children and young adults.
Since his diagnosis, Ben Watkins was treated at the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. The tumor that was first seen in Ben was that of the size of a golf-ball. However, over time, the size of the tumor grew into the size of a grapefruit. This tumor grew in Ben's neck.
The 14-year-old boy had to undergo chemotherapy for tumors that appeared on his spine, shoulders, and lungs.
Ben Watkins' struggle against cancer
According to Ben's uncle, Anthony Edward, the 14-year-old boy was positive even while undergoing treatment. He said, "Despite all the pain and sickness Ben went through, he never complained, not once."
When Ben's condition was made public, he was very happy with the kind of support that he received from people from all over the world. Specifically, Ben was happy to know that he got so much support from his community in Gary, Indiana. His uncle said, "We cannot thank this community enough for holding our family up in prayer, and for all that you've done."
The family's grief
Edwards shared with the Chicago Tribune that they were praying for a positive outcome with the young boy's condition. However, things turned out differently, "Ben's lungs could no longer give him the air he needed to breathe. It's been devastating."
The family's superhero
Because of the young boy's positivity, his family considers him their superhero. Even when he is already suffering at the hospital, the 14-year-old boy would still consider his uncle's condition and the people around him.
His uncle said, "Ben suffered more than his share in his fourteen years on this Earth but we take solace in that his suffering is finally over and in that, in the end, Ben knew he was loved by so many."
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the memorial fund for the former Master Chef Junior contender, Ben Watkins.
