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Ben Watkins, candidate for the “MasterChef Junior”, died Monday of cancer at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. He was 14 years old.
Watkins’ uncle and grandmother announced his death in a statement on a GoFundMe page titled “# Love4Ben” originally created in 2017 to support his education after his parents passed away. “After losing both parents in September 2017, we marveled at Ben’s strength, courage and love for life,” the statement said. “He never complained. Ben was and always will be the strongest person we know.
The statement continued, with Watkins’ family thanking the Indiana community for their support: “When Ben’s rare disease was shared with the world, he was so encouraged by the outpouring of love he took. received from all corners of the globe – especially here in his hometown. from Gary, Indiana. We cannot thank this community enough for supporting our family in prayer and for all that you have done. Ben has suffered more than his share of his fourteen years on this Earth, but we take comfort in that his suffering is finally over and that in the end, Ben knew he was loved by so many.
Watkins was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, a soft tissue tumor most commonly occurring in children and young adults, and died after receiving treatment for 18 months.
In 2018, the aspiring chef participated in the sixth season of Gordon Ramsay’s “MasterChef Junior” when he was 11 years old. Of the 40 contestants this season, Watkins was in the top 24 who competed for the title winning. He placed in the top 18.
Growing up in Indiana, Watkins spent his free time cooking at his family restaurant, Big Ben’s Bodacious BBQ and Delicatessen, until he lost both parents, Leila Edwards and Mike Watkins, in murder-suicide. , as reported by the Chicago Tribune. The restaurant closed the month her parents died.
That year, the community of Miller Beach, the Gary neighborhood of Indiana where Ben lived, rallied around the 13-year-old, raising more than $ 30,000 through GoFundMe to support his dreams. in the culinary arts and engineering.
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