If you ask Christian Chacon’s mom Alma how long her son has been an Earthquakes fan, she’ll respond without hesitation: “since birth.” The 14-year-old freshman at Silver Creek High School has followed the Quakes for as long as he can remember and has grown up playing the world’s game. But, in February of 2013, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblast Leukemia and could no longer play the sport he loved.
Thanks to some great work by the 1906 Ultras and the Austen Everett Foundation, the Quakes heard about Christian’s story and wanted to support him in his fight against cancer. The Earthquakes were honored to give Christian the Ultimate Earthquakes Adventure when he became an Earthquake for the day and the team's co-captain for our match against the Colorado Rapids.
Christian's favorite part of all though? Getting to spend a lot of quality time with his favorite player - and co-captain - Chris Wondolowski. Wondo even gave Christian his cleats, autographing them and saying to "take good care of these. I scored a goal against Mexico with these cleats." Not bad for Christian's first day on the job.
The next day turned out to be even better for the 14-year-old. From arriving at Buck Shaw to a pep talk with Jon Busch, to having his own locker complete with name plate, full kit, and, of course, the captain's arm band, Christian experienced what it's like to a Quake for the day, and we were honored to have such a strong young man do so.
