Vanessa Hudgens Surprises 17-Year-Old Fan Battling Cancer at His Prom—See the Pic!

Eyewitness tells E! News actress volunteered to attend event because she works with The Art of Elysium, who hosted the event with Kaiser

By Rebecca Macatee, Sara Kitnick Aug 29, 2014 4:36 PMTags
Vanessa HudgensInstagram

Talk about a real life High School Musical experience!

Cesar, a 17-year-old battling cancer, was in for a shock when Vanessa Hudgens surprised him Thursday at his prom, thrown by The Art of Elysium and Kaiser.

An eyewitness tells E! News the Gimme Shelter actress has always been Cesar's celebrity crush. When Vanessa, who happens to be a friend of the arts charity, heard about his story, she "volunteered to make a surprise appearance and make his night extra special," says the witness.

"She dressed up, spent most of the night dancing with the kids and took countless photos with fans," says the witness. "[Cesar] told me it was the best night of his life."

All of Cesar's guests—which included family members, friends and a large portion of his senior class—got to witness Vanessa's appearance firsthand, but the 25-year-old actress also Instagrammed a photo of herself with the man of the night!

A witness tells E! News that this not only "spread awareness for charity," but it also turned Cesar into "an overnight social media star."

Sounds like The Art of Elysium, Kaiser and, of course, Vanessa, gave Cesar a prom night he'll never forget.