Nearly three years after losing both of his parents, “MasterChef Junior’s” Ben Watkins is facing another uphill battle.
The teen chef has been diagnosed with Angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, a rare soft tissue tumor, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his family’s attorney.
Per the update, Ben received his diagnosis last year, shortly after his 13th birthday.
“Young Ben is one of only six people in the entire world diagnosed with this illness. Ben is currently undergoing treatment at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago,” it read in part.
A follow-up post said that Ben had started chemotherapy on July 30.
News of Ben’s health challenge comes nearly three years after Ben’s mother and father died in what investigators ruled a murder-suicide, per the Chicago Tribune. Police told the outlet that Ben’s father shot and killed his child’s mother on Sept. 16 before taking his own life in their home.
Ben was 10 years old at the time of his parents’ deaths. Six months after the tragedy, he appeared in the sixth season of “MasterChef Junior” and excelled, ultimately getting eliminated in Episode 5.
