Help Benny's Boys

My name is Emily Slater, and I am raising money to help support my nephews after the sudden loss of their father, Brian "Benny" Camacho, on July 27, 2024.

Benny was diagnosed with leukemia around two years ago, and through chemotherapy treatments, he managed to go into remission, gaining back his health and happiness as he embraced life once again. Roughly two weeks ago, he was admitted to the hospital for stomach issues. We learned that the cancer had returned and was aggressive, and his organs were beginning to fail. Despite emergency chemo and dialysis, Brian suffered a stroke and did not wake up. He passed away surrounded by his family and friends at 1:40 a.m. on July 27th.

Benny was a well-loved member of the community. His alma mater's homecoming king, a local community theatre favorite, and an active member of the music scene, Benny has touched many lives, and is clearly loved by everyone who knows him. But Benny's greatest love was always for his boys.

Benny and my sister, Marley, had two beautiful, brilliant sons during their marriage. Aaden has grown into a talented jazz musician and one of the wittiest, smartest kids I've ever met, and Makaio is already smarter than every adult he knows. Every lovable quality Benny had is reflected in his boys, right down to that big smile. Everything he did, right down to his last request to pursue emergency treatment, was for his boys.

Now my sister faces being a single mother without the support of her co-parent in this most important of jobs. Benny provided health insurance for the boys, in addition to having 50/50 custody, not to mention the mental and emotional support they both were providing each other as they navigated parenting their babies as co-parents and friends. Marley's own battle with chronic pain from fibromyalgia only adds to the difficulties both financially and in physically and mentally handling the burdens she's now facing from the heartbreaking loss of her children's father.

Funds raised from these donations will be reserved for necessities for the boys, including healthcare, emergencies, school needs, as well as any potential grief counseling or programs they need as they move into this new and scary time in their lives. The last thing Benny's family needs to worry about during this difficult time is keeping bills paid, and in a time like this, where we are powerless to change the past, we are not powerless to change their futures. Please consider donating to help give Benny's children a future that might be a little less difficult with our help, and share this fundraiser with those who knew and loved Benny and his boys.