Senior Ben Lesser runs cross country and track at Whitman; this season, he placed 119th in the Great American Cross Country Festival and 79th in the Montgomery County Cross Country Championship in the 5,000 meter event. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer, and he needs a bone marrow transplant.

News of Ben’s diagnosis began to circulate Feb. 15 when Ben’s friend, junior Nikki Widra, started a social media campaign to spread awareness about Ben. She encouraged people who are 18 and older to join the bone marrow registry in hopes of finding a match for him. Since then, a group of Ben’s friends have produced a video and set up a stand at Whitman’s annual Icebreaker 5k to show their support.

“I didn’t understand the depth of the situation until a few weeks after I heard about his diagnosis,” Widra said. “I want him to survive, so I joined in on the efforts to help.”

Widra said she became friends with Lesser about a year ago because they ran on the cross-country team together. She’s now serving as the student coordinator and runs the Facebook page for “Find Bens Match,” the organization trying to find a bone marrow match for Ben. However, Widra emphasized that she’s only a small part of the Whitman community that’s advocating for Ben.

“Everyone has done just as much as I have to help Ben,” Widra said. “It’s truly been a team effort.”

Elise Yousoufian, parent of Ben’s friend Aaron Bratt (‘19), is the coordinator for “Find Ben’s Match.” She organizes swab drives in the area where individuals can swab their cheeks to see if they’re a match for Ben or for others who need bone marrow transplants. Since she began her efforts, about 850 people have signed up for the bone marrow registry.

“My son, Aaron, ran cross country with Ben for three years, so I knew Ben and his mom Karen pretty well.,” Yousoufian said. “I couldn’t just stand by. I knew I had to do everything I could to help in some way.”

Ben’s diagnosis hasn’t only triggered advocacy efforts; it’s also led many students to reflect on their memories with Ben and how he’s impacted them.

Senior Henry Stoner said when he moved to Bethesda 10 years ago,  Ben was one of his first friends. Stoner ran cross country with Lesser at Whitman. He remembers laughing about how head coach Stephen Hays would get mad at Stoner — who describes himself as one of the worst runners on the team — for being a bad influence on Ben, whom Stoner described as being one of the best runners.

“It sucked when I first heard about his diagnosis,” Stoner said. “I was completely distraught, and I couldn’t really comprehend it at first.”

Senior Isabel Hannula had similar reactions to Stoner; she and Ben have been friends since kindergarten. They live on the same street and they run track and cross country together.

“Ben is so nice and selfless — everyone he meets says so,” Hannula said. “I truly enjoy every moment I spend with him.”

Hannula said that since Ben’s diagnosis, she’s also more aware of the countrywide importance of programs that fight cancer. She wants people to register for the bone marrow registry not just for Ben, but for the countless other individuals who need life-saving transplants, she said. 

“He’s one of the healthiest, most amazing people I know,” Hannula said. “It really puts into perspective that anything can happen.”

Coach Stephen Hays was also devastated by Ben’s diagnosis. Ever since Ben’s diagnosis, he has cooked meals for Ben and his family, and encouraged members of the team to continue their advocacy efforts.

“Everybody is just trying to help out anyway they can,” said Hays.

To show your support for Ben, “Finds Ben Match” is selling t-shirts from now until Monday, March 9, for $15 with proceedings going to Be the Match, a countrywide organization dedicated to finding Bone Marrow Transplants for those who need them. You can have your cheek swabbed at one of their upcoming cheek swab events, and you can volunteer to donate blood platelets.