Hundreds of San Diegans gathered on the roof of the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego to help a little girl most have never met.
A day after Christmas, Kylie Rowand was diagnosed with Stage 4 High-Risk Neuroblastoma. When her health started declining, the 21-month-old girl moved from San Diego to Los Angeles for medical treatment.
On Wednesday, she and her family flew to New York for a specialized treatment at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital.
Over the last several months, Kylie’s story spread over social media and caught the eyes of Jamie-Lynne Knighten and Hard Rock Hotel Spa Director Krystal Champion.
“As a mother of two I wanted to try and do whatever I can. I would hope someone would do the same thing if I were in the same situation,” said Champion.
Knighten and Champion spent the last few months organizing a yoga-spa fundraiser that kicked off Thursday. More than 300 people attended. They hoped to raise between $10-$15,000.
“[Kylie’s story] just touched me so incredibly deeply,” said Knighten adding that she and Champion wanted to do something to help.
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A handful of Kylie’s relatives were there including her grandfather Larry Olds.
“Most of these people have never met her. Just seeing her on the internet has drawn them to her,” said Olds. “It's just amazing. Just amazing.”
All proceeds from the event will go to help the family. Visit Kylie’s Facebook page.
