Charity football match In loving memory of Ed Benton

Charity football match in memory of Ed Benton and in aid Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Edward Lewis Benton was our wonderful, caring, hardworking, honest and loving son.

He was the best big brother, the best of friend to everyone and the hardest worker in any room.

He loved life. He had so much to give. He always wanted to have fun and he made sure everyone else around him was laughing.

He was the funniest person I knew and he was a pleasure to be around. He lived every day like it was his last. To know Ed was to love him.

He contracted chickenpox at the age of 13 months which led to several secondary infections including meningitis, encephalitis and osteomyelitis. 3 life threatening infections which he miraculously beat. Sadly, the osteomyelitis had eaten away at his arm and jaw and we knew the future would be difficult.

The care and treatment he received from Great Ormond Street back in 2003 was nothing short of a miracle. He underwent over 35 operations in his short, 21 years. All at GOSH. Tragically, he was diagnosed with chiari malformation in 2018 and underwent more major surgery that we hoped would end his problems. He had a total jaw transplant in 2020, he was the second person in the U.K. to have it done. He was under the amazing team at GOSH who changed his life. This operation came with its own challenges and he almost didn’t survive it. He was discharged from GOSH in 2022. In the months after, he was diagnosed with more complications and sadly lost his life in February whilst on holiday with his friends due to his ongoing health issues.

Edward faced every challenge head on. He never let anything get to him and he was the first to offer support to those who needed it.

He was the light in everyone’s life and ours will never be the same.

We want to show our gratitude to GOSH for all their support and care for Edward during his 19 years there. Ed experienced some wonderful memories at GOSH such as working with Vernon Kay and Tess Daily, laying the first grounds to a new wing of the hospital. He got to go and see Spider-Man on the red carpet and shop in the new Abercrombie shop in London, where he met Gollum!

He felt at ease there and the Dr’s and nurses we met were simply the best.

GOSH changed his life on several occasions and saved it more than a few.

Please help us to raise as much money for this amazing hospital who rely on donations, charity events and support to help sick children get the best possible care they can.

We are holding a charity football match, Ed’s friends v’s Ed’s dad’s friends. Something Ed would have loved to have seen. Please help us to help GOSH and all the children that sadly need their care.

Thank you for reading our story.

Claire, John, Jon, Max and Oli.