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Gordon Ramsay Donated $50,000 To MasterChef Junior Star Ben Watkins' Cancer Battle

Gordon Ramsay Donated $50,000 To MasterChef Junior Star Ben Watkins' Cancer Battle

Ben Watkins died Monday after battling a rare form of cancer for a year-and-a-half.

Jessica Lynch

Jessica Lynch

The world was shocked and saddened by the news of MasterChef Junior star Ben Watkins dying from cancer.

The teen was praised by many for his resilience in the face of such adversity. He had been battling angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma for a year and a half and he had help from one of his mentors.

It has been revealed that MasterChef Junior host Gordon Ramsay donated $50,000 to help the young contestant pay for his cancer treatment back in August.

Variety reports Ramsay and other MasterChef Junior contestants sent Watkins a sweet video message last year, wishing him all the best during his cancer treatment and encouraging people to donate to his GoFundMe page.

Fox

"If you can beat me in the 'MasterChef Junior' kitchen, trust me, you can beat this," Ramsay said in the video. "God bless, and lots of love, buddy."

The young chef competed in Season 6 of competitive cooking TV show, finishing in the top 18 spots when he was just 11 years old. Just two years later, he would be diagnosed with angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma.

His death would come just three years after both his parents were killed in a domestic violence incident in 2017.

On Monday, Watkins' remaining family shared a statement on his GoFundMe page, revealing the teen had lost his battle and had 'gone home to be with his mother'.

GoFundMe

The page had raised more than $200,000 for his medical costs.

A statement from the family on the page read: "After losing both his parents in September 2017, we have marvelled at Ben's strength, courage and love for life. He never, ever complained. Ben was and will always be the strongest person we know."

"When Ben's rare illness was shared with the world, he was so heartened by the outpouring of love he received from every corner of the globe - especially here in his hometown of Gary, Indiana."

"We cannot thank this community enough for holding our family up in prayer and for all that you've done."

"Ben suffered more than his share in his 14 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."

Ben had been treated at the Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, with his uncle telling the Chicago Tribune that a golf-ball-sized tumour had grown into a grapefruit-sized mass in his nephew's neck and that Ben had been undergoing chemotherapy for tumours on his lungs, spine and shoulder.

"Despite all the pain and sickness Ben went through, he never complained, not once."

"We were praying for a different outcome/ But Ben's lungs could no longer give him the air he needed to breathe. It's been devastating."

Featured Image Credit: Fox

Topics: Television, Entertainment, TV and Film, Gordon Ramsay