SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- It was a day dedicated to nine-year-old Kamdon Wert at the Albany Saratoga Speedway, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
"To see him fight and still even when he’s sick have the biggest smile on his face, it brings us up,” said Krystal Hartley, Kamdon's mom. "He loves seeing all the cars. We're going to let him actually pick a trophy for his favorite car.”
Kamdon was diagnosed with stage four embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that’s caused a tumor that runs behind his nose and mouth, to the base of his skull.
"It all started out with a cavity in his tooth," Hartley said.
When Kamdon was still having pain after the tooth was pulled, Hartley knew something wasn’t right and took him to doctors until they found the tumor.
"He is responding well to the chemo. It has shrunk a little bit so like I said, it's going to be a long road," said Hartley.
She hopes down the road they’ll be able to do surgery if treatment continues to go well.
"He calls it Timmy the tumor so hopefully they'll be able to get Timmy out of there," said Hartley.
Family, friends, and members of Team Kamdon gathered to raise money for his medical expenses while enjoying what he loves most.
"It's really tough to watch him go through all this and I'm hoping that he knows that people are supporting him," said Mary Francese, Kamdon's cousin.
Although Kamdon had to stay at the hospital, his mom FaceTimed him throughout the day to make sure he saw every car.
"He has more good days than you would think a child going through this would have and he's really an inspiration," said Francese.
As Kamdon and his family prepare for the journey ahead, they have an entire community behind them, who can’t wait to see him get better.
"He's our hero. He is so strong. Of course he has his ups and downs, but he makes us stronger," Hartley said.
If you’d like to donate, you can go to his Go Fund Me account by clicking here.