MasterChef Junior fan-favorite Ben Watkins is facing yet another personal tragedy just three years after losing both of his parents.
The 13-year-old chef, who appeared on season 6 of the FOX culinary competition, was recently diagnosed with a rare tumor. According to a GoFundMe started by his grandmother and uncle, Ben is being treated for angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, a soft tissue tumor that typically occurs in children and young adults. Ben’s loved ones say he is one of six people in the world to receive such a rare diagnosis.
In 2017, Ben’s mother and father, Leila Edwards and Mike Watkins, died in a murder-suicide. A Chicago Tribune story on their deaths said community members had rallied around Ben to establish a trust fund for his future. Nearly $30,000 has since been raised under the #Love4Ben campaign, and that number is only expected to increase as he receives support for his medical treatment.
