Meet Ben, an 11-year-old with big dreams. Ben loves video games, science (especially physics), and coding. He has his sights set on becoming a mechanical engineer because he absolutely loves unraveling the mysteries of how things work. When Ben isn't busy building or tinkering, you'll probably find him playing video games or coding. He enjoys creating his own games and programs, bringing his ideas to life on the screen. Ben loves trivia, especially little-known facts about retro video games. 

 

Ben was diagnosed with a primary immunodeficiency (PI) when he was two years old. This means that Ben is more susceptible to infections, so to help boost his immune system, Ben currently receives intravenous immunoglobulin (also known as IVIG) every month. Each IV infusion takes a full day, and while Ben isn't a fan of the poke to start the IVs, he enjoys the long day of video games.

 

Ben first attended the IDF Walk for Primary Immunodeficiency when he was 3 years old. It was the first time he was able to associate anything fun and positive with having an immune deficiency. Since his first walk for PI, Ben has always enjoyed supporting the Immune Deficiency Foundation in its fundraising efforts to provide educational resources and programs, leading patient-focused research, and advocating for legislative change for those with PI.