Ben Lesser Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Our beloved Ben was a kind soul and a gifted athlete. He excelled in many sports, including baseball and basketball, but his true passions were running and soccer. Ben was a top runner on the Walt Whitman High School Cross Country and Track & Field teams, and he represented Walt Whitman High School in the Maryland State Cross Country Championships his freshman through senior years. Another passion of Ben’s was his love for nature and wildlife. He loved visiting National Parks and he would spend as much time as possible outdoors. Even while at Children’s Hospital, he enjoyed visiting the outdoor Healing Garden.
Ben was loved by all and a friend to nearly everyone he met. His peers, teachers, neighbors, and others described him as having “infectious and endless positive energy.” Many also commented on his kindness, generosity, and contagious smile. His smile “never failed to lighten the room and raise everyone’s spirits,” one friend stated.
Ben passed away peacefully the morning of April 11, 2021, at the tender age of 19. For the past 15 months, Ben fought a courageous battle against leukemia. In his final days with his family, Ben expressed his desire to establish a charity to improve our national parks and outdoor spaces. With Ben's wish in mind, a charitable organization is being set up to carry on Ben's legacy and love of outdoors.
Many people have asked how they can honor Ben and support the family. If you wish to donate, Karen Lesser, Ben's mother, will transfer funds from the GO FUND ME page to the charitable organization once it is finalized. We appreciate your willingness to honor Ben's generous, smiling legacy and his love of the outdoors in this way.
Ben was loved by all and a friend to nearly everyone he met. His peers, teachers, neighbors, and others described him as having “infectious and endless positive energy.” Many also commented on his kindness, generosity, and contagious smile. His smile “never failed to lighten the room and raise everyone’s spirits,” one friend stated.
Ben passed away peacefully the morning of April 11, 2021, at the tender age of 19. For the past 15 months, Ben fought a courageous battle against leukemia. In his final days with his family, Ben expressed his desire to establish a charity to improve our national parks and outdoor spaces. With Ben's wish in mind, a charitable organization is being set up to carry on Ben's legacy and love of outdoors.
Many people have asked how they can honor Ben and support the family. If you wish to donate, Karen Lesser, Ben's mother, will transfer funds from the GO FUND ME page to the charitable organization once it is finalized. We appreciate your willingness to honor Ben's generous, smiling legacy and his love of the outdoors in this way.
Organizer and beneficiary
Margo Herron
Organizer
Bethesda, MD
Karen Lesser
Beneficiary