#BryanStrong: Fundraiser to help Coalinga boy battling Leukemia

Friday, April 22, 2022
COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A non-profit is taking action to send a Coalinga boy to Florida as he battles Leukemia.

Bryan Benitez loves to spend his free time playing Beyblades and Fortnite.
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He's your typical nine-year-old boy with lots of energy.

However, the last six years of Bryan's life have been far from easy.

He was diagnosed with Leukemia at three years old. Bryan has relapsed four times.

Currently, he is trying to get back into remission, so he could hopefully get his second bone marrow transplant by June.



For such an active boy, the isolation has taken a toll on him.
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"Not being able to go to school and not being able to go outside to pretty much just stay in bed," said Bryan.

In an effort to lift his spirits, Campaign One at a Time is raising money to send Bryan and his family on his dream trip to Walt Disney World and the Give Kids the World Village in Florida.
"He's just really looking forward to a trip with his family, where he doesn't have to think about his next poke or his next treatment," said Nick Ordonez, the director of campaigns.

Ordonez added that the organization never wants any child battling a life-threatening illness to feel alone.

"We used to help one child a month, and now we're helping 20 children a month," he said. "Our goal is to make 200 dreams come true this year and then help 2,000 kids across the U.S."
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Bryan's campaign is still underway, but he was eager to share a message with his supporters.

"Just want to say thank you for doing this," he said. "I appreciate it."



The #BryanStrong fundraiser can be found here.

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