Fort Bragg soldier's terminally ill son wishes to meet Bruno Mars

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WTVD) -- There's much uncertainty behind how long a Fort Bragg soldier's toddler son, who has a terminal illness, will live.

The child qualifies for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but doctors believe he won't live long enough to see his wish granted.

Few things can get Maximus Gutierrez to stop crying, but Multi-Grammy Award Winning artist Bruno Mars is one of them.

The 17-month-old was born with gangliosidosis-1, which is a very rare progressive terminal neurological disorder that destroys nerves in the brain and spinal cord.

The child takes up to eight medications a day, feeds through a stomach tube, and requires round the clock oxygen.

The child's father is a student at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School on Fort Bragg.

"He has seizures. Right now, he can't hold his head up. Essentially he' s a newborn baby in a two-year-old body," said Briana Gutierrez. "I really didn't understand what it was. All I heard was terminal and early childhood."

While the child is still a blessing on earth, his parents want Bruno Mars to meet one of his youngest fans.

"It would be one of the best memories that we'll have," said Gutierrez.