Finn Renard, 17, broke his neck after diving into the ocean off Mission Bay on the last day of his junior lifeguard internship. He has been on life support in the ICU for 19 days.
His mother, Courtney, says the community response has been overwhelming.
"Just please pray for him," Courtney said.
Courtney says she is devastated but grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.
"We've even had [Lifeguard Chief James] Gartland visit him; everyone has been such a huge support," Courtney said.
A GoFundMe campaign has nearly reached its $60,000 goal, driven by 360 donations and counting.
"I think people look at San Diego at this big place, but I've lived here my whole life until five years ago - and we really are kind of a small community," Courtney said.
Finn and his family moved to Texas five years ago, but he travels to San Diego in the summer to participate in the San Diego Junior Lifeguards Program. Courtney says the program is his favorite part of the year.
She described her son's character, recounting a moment just before his surgery.
"He's a character, super sweet ... when they had brought him in, they were getting ready to perform his surgery ... he I guess, told them to remove the mask and he did... he just told everyone I just wanted to thank you all so much for doing your best to try to keep me alive," Courtney said.
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