There isn't much these days that can make Ron Guitard cry tears of joy, but on Sunday a group of his family members, friends, and even a few strangers, did just that.
A fundraiser brought around 250 people to Mission Bay for a walk in honor of Ron's son Christian who is fighting for his life in a room at Rady Children's Hospital.
Christian Guitard, 13, was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma last month, a form of esophageal cancer that has his family and doctors looking outside the U.S. for help. What makes the diagnosis so unusual, is that most patients fighting Adenocarcinoma are at least 50 years old.
Christian's family is hoping that a cutting edge, less traditional molecular type of research will be able to bring a cure.
"Even though it's not available here in the United States, we're going to find a way to bring it here," said Ron Guitard.
The problem is money, which is where Sunday's fundraiser came in.
It was planned at the last minute by a family friend, but through the help of social networking sites like Facebook, word traveled quickly as people were urged to show up wearing red in honor of Christian's favorite color and to bring cash.
Local
Initial totals stood at more than $5000 Sunday, bringing Ron's father to tears and prompting him to say a quick prayer with the hundreds of people holding hands in a circle at the edge of Mission Bay.
"He's battled a lot of demons, a lot of demons I think he's going to beat because of you're power and you're prayers that have helped immensely,” said Guitard.
The family has set up a fund through Wells Fargo Bank to help pay for their son's treatment. It is under the name Christian Guitard.
