<div>Ben is a filmmaker who is currently fighting cancer. His battle is temporary but your love and support can impact his life forever. 
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679678837944656_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Benedict Manlapaz is a 23 year old, living in Queens who turned his passion for food, film, and travel into his career. His dream was to become a world-class storyteller through his films, and he is well on his way. In the 10 years since moving to the US as a 13 year old boy from the Philippines, he’s shot and edited mini documentaries, short films, ran a production company and started his wedding career in high school. 
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679683304564860_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>After moving to the city at 18, he hustled 7-days a week never losing sight of his goals, even while always putting friends and family first. He co-stars in one of New York’s Top YouTube series, is still an active wedding filmmaker working for 6 different highly reputable wedding studios, and is a host/editor of the NYC online show.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679678578549875_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_167967889861588_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>A Little Bit About Ben:<strong><em> </em></strong><a href="https://youtu.be/zmH15u74MpY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong><em><a href="https://youtu.be/zmH15u74MpY" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://youtu.be/zmH15u74MpY</a></em></strong></a><strong><em> </em></strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679607906301806_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On February 5, 2023, Benedict woke up with sudden, complete paralysis of both his legs. This came after days of excruciating and unbearable sciatic pain that left him unable to properly walk, sleep, sit, or lay down in any position. Despite following doctors’ instructions for sciatica pain relief, his condition rapidly worsened until he lost lower body function and had to be carried to the ER by his roommate and uncle. This occurred while he also struggled with a large, abnormal lump in the right neck’s lymph node, which doctors identified as a side effect of infection but refused to go down with antibiotics. After 2 anxious weeks of hospitalization, he finally received a diagnosis: Stage IV diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Since his February 6th laminectomy, Benedict has been confined to a hospital bed, consistently being both the youngest on his floor and the longest resident. His cancer is at stage IV, affecting multiple systems in his body including the lumbar spine, thoracic spine, the enlarged neck lymph node, pancreas, etc. The growing masses on his spine are causing intense compression of his spinal cord and nerves, leading to acute pain and loss of function in the full lower body (bladder, bowel, leg motor function). He began chemotherapy quickly after diagnosis to limit further growth.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679679076375150_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>However, initial R CHOP chemotherapy unfortunately failed. The little progress made after the laminectomy, such as slight movement in the legs, was then lost as the cancer progressed. He’s been transferred to a different hospital since and had 15 days of radiation before a more aggressive RICE chemotherapy treatment begins. Doctors have been treating him even on weekends considering the severity of his case and are doing their best to see signs of returning leg function. So far, Ben has spent 48 days hospitalized and will likely need to stay multiple weeks longer.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_167960794494752_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Even while battling cancer, he continues to make nurses, doctors, and maintenance staff laugh with his infectious sense of humor, and reassure friends and family with his steadfast optimism and positivity.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679607973919148_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Ben desperately wants to get back to his creative endeavors. He’s still doing what he loves most, spending most of his days playing with his cameras, and has so much excitement for getting back to his work and shooting all the great ideas he’s had in his time at the hospital. All he can talk about is how badly he wants to be back on his feet, to shoot around the streets of New York and his back-to-back weekend drives around NJ, CT, and Long Island to shoot weddings. His genuine love for his craft is still alive and strong.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679608002478793_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679678246310209_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>We’ve created this GoFundMe as a way to give back a fraction of the love, generosity, and positivity he’s put out into the world. Anybody who has met him has come away a better person. He’s also been a source of inspiration for many viewers on social media and online channels with his good humor and charming personality.
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679679217198507_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The money collected would go directly towards his treatments and medical expenses, including the extensive hospitalization, months of chemotherapy and radiation sessions, rehab, and physical therapy. Given that he is unable to work until recovery, we hope to relieve some of the burden of months of lost wages. Other expenses include family travel to and from Virginia, Hawaii, Korea, Canada, etc to care for him while he is unable to…
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679678697453336_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679678518676397_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for taking the time to read Benedict’s story. We’re all in this together, and we’ll keep you updated on his progress. As always, positive thoughts, warm messages and comments are always welcome. Sharing this fundraiser and spreading the word would be greatly appreciated!
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679679252133795_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679679286444408_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div><img class="m-text-editor-image" alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/71387429_1679679354732951_r." width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Looking forward to seeing this happy soul back on his feet doing what he loves most: filming, eating, and putting a smile on every face he meets :)
</div>

Sena Omoruyi

Alexandre Massy

Anonymous

Lindsey Rodil

Sarfraz Ahmad

Jonathan Magpantay

Snket Desai

William Llambelis

Maria Elena Cuenca

Xiuhe Zhang

Shelina Premji

Eric Bordador

Benedict Fights Cancer

Benedict Fights Cancer

Still $21,490 to go. Help us build momentum.