Bon Jovi surprises fan battling cancer at his Toms River restaurant

TOMS RIVER -- Carol Cesario, who is battling lung cancer, dreamed about meeting Jon Bon Jovi for 30 years.

Surrounded by her family on Saturday, Cesario's dreams became reality when Bon Jovi appeared at the family's table at Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen restaurant in Toms River.

Cesario and her family were invited to the rock superstar's second New Jersey restaurant for dinner, Cesario's daughter, Rosie Skripkunis, wrote on Facebook.

But before dinner was served, Bon Jovi sat with the family for more than an hour, Skripkunis said.

"This has been one of the best days of our families (sic) life," Skripkunis wrote on Facebook. "Seeing my mom this happy filled me with so much joy."

In a video shared on Facebook, Bon Jovi is seen holding Cesario and talking to her closely. He gives her a peck on the cheek at one point. The video has more than 260,000 views as of Monday night. Bon Jovi also presented Cesario with an autographed guitar.

At JBJ Soul Kitchen, patrons are asked to donate a minimum of $10 for their meal or they can eat for free in exchange for working in the kitchen. Bon Jovi opened the first restaurant in Red Bank in 2011.

Expanding on his concept on how to fight hunger, Bon Jovi opened the B.E.A.T Center in Toms River in May. The B.E.A.T (Bringing Everyone All Together) Center is a 12,000 square-foot-facility that pulls together three major non-profit agencies to provide services for residents who have been struggling to make ends meet. It is comprised of the Soul Kitchen, the Peoples Pantry and the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the increase of views the Facebook video has received since it was first posted, and includes more information on the B.E.A.T Center in Toms River.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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