The family of a ‘fit as a fiddle’ teenager who passed away following a hard-fought battle with cancer have fulfilled his dying wish - to raise £100,000 for cancer charities in his name in the two years after his death.
Ben Pavitt, from Marchwood, was just 16 when a relapse of his acute T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoblastic lymphoma cut short his life.
The former Noadswood School pupil, who had passed his GCSEs with flying colours just months earlier, had already raised £31,000 for charities which had helped him during his treatment.
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And he challenged his loving family, parents Mike and Suzie and sister Lauren, to raise £100,000 for underfunded childhood cancer charities.
A special fund was set up in Ben's name with the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) and, two years on, more than 2,000 separate supporters have raised more than £105,000 with Gift Aid and match funding.
Dad Mike said: "We have all been truly inspired by the example of strength of mind in the face of adversity, and of genuine kindness towards others, of one young man who crammed in more valuable contribution to his short life than many who have lived an entire career and retirement.
"When, after 15 months of treatment, Ben’s doctors finally admitted there was nothing more they could do for him, Ben wasted no more time. He planned out what he wanted his family to do in his name, how we could honour his memory but also progress with our lives in a positive, forward-looking way.
"By far the most ambitious - but by no means the most difficult - thing he asked us to do was to take up to two years after his death and raise £100,000 for childhood cancer research. That money is going wherever Ben’s nominated charity deem it to be most effective and it’s going to do good things. Perhaps it will even save someone else like Ben.
"And we are not done yet."
Lizzie Goates, from CCLG, added: “Thanks to Ben, his family and all their incredible supporters, we will be able to fund pioneering research to help change the future for children with cancer.”
Donate to Ben's fund at specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/ben-pavitts-legacy-of-love-fund
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