MasterChef Junior's Ben Watkins Diagnosed With Rare Cancer 3 Years After Parents Died

"MasterChef Junior" star Ben Watkins was recently diagnosed with a rare illness, according to a GoFundMe started by his grandmother and uncle. The recent tragedy for the 13-year-old cook comes three years after his parents died.

Watkins, who appeared on the sixth season of the hit culinary competition on Fox, is being treated for angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma, a soft tissue tumor that typically occurs in children and young adults.

According to his family, he is one of six people in the world to receive such a rare diagnosis. He is currently undergoing treatment at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Watkins' parents died in a domestic violence incident ruled a murder-suicide in 2017, police told the Chicago Tribune, adding that his father shot and killed his mother, and then himself. At the time, Watkins had just finished filming season six of Fox's MasterChef Junior. Watkins was one of 40 contestants, age 8 to 13, on his season. He placed in the top 18.

The GoFundMe campaign, known as #Love4Ben, is seeking to raise funds to help cover the cost of Watkins' medical bills and for his future schooling.

"Despite all of Ben's trials and tribulations," the GoFundMe stated, "he remains positive and looks forward to getting back in the kitchen and pursuing his dream to become an engineer. Members of the community have joined together to see that the life challenges that Ben has gone through [do] not derail him from reaching his full potential and fulfilling his dreams."