TOMS RIVER, NJ – What started as a family meal turned into the surprise of a lifetime for cancer patient Carol Cesario.
Her daughter Rosie Skripkunis was shooting a video when rocker Jon Bon Jovi greeted Cesario while she ate with family at the musician’s restaurant, JBJ Soul Kitchen in Toms River, New Jersey.
“Mom’s dream came true,” Skripkunis wrote on Facebook, sharing photos and the video, which has more than 116,000 views.
It was a well-executed surprise that started a few weeks ago when Skripkunis posted a photo on Facebook that showed her mom, who’s battling stage 4 lung cancer, holding a sign from her hospital bed that said, “Please share so I can meet Bon Jovi.”
The photo went viral enough to catch the musician’s attention, who surprised Cesario on Saturday after her family drove to New Jersey from neighboring Pennsylvania, where they live. And although a quick hello probably would’ve been enough, Bon Jovi made their trip even more worthwhile.
“He spent almost 2 hours hanging out with her and just chatting with my family,” Skripkunis said in another Facebook post. Bon Jovi also played them his new album and gave Cesario a signed guitar and book.
“You have no idea what this meant to us. This is a day we will never forget,” Skripkunus wrote on Sunday. “Thank you so much for these memories with our mom and her Bons.”
