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0 Subject: The Rock Does Good

Posted by: Mike D
- Sustainer [41831612] Wed, Sep 29, 2004, 11:58

Nice article about the Rock bonding with a kid. It made the news a few months ago when the Rock called and talked to the kid. Now this. The kid is from my hometown too (don't live there anymore or know the kid).

Rolling with The Rock

FRANK BODANI
Wednesday, September 29, 2004


There was the kid from East York, in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel at Universal Studios in California.
His hero walked through the door.

Derek O'Melko, 19, walked up to The Rock and gave him a hug.

The Rock smiled.

"I don't recognize the (haircut), but I know the voice," the hero said.

The dream had come true.

Forgive people for not believing in the perseverance or the goodness in a man's heart, for not believing in the dream.

But O'Melko said he always believed.

To understand this story with the happy ending, go back to the spring.

O'Melko was living a life with hypoplastic right heart syndrome, a condition where a damaged left side of the heart must do most of the work.

He had already been through 10 heart operations, seven of them open-heart surgeries.

He had been rushed by helicopter to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia when his breathing went haywire.

He understood, better than most, that his life may well be a short one. His family understood, too.

He also knew that the one person he wanted to meet, no matter what, was The Rock, the World Wrestling Entertainment champion. The action movie star.

His family understood.

So after months of writing and calling, O'Melko got The Rock's cell phone number from his staff. The Rock called him last spring, and the two talked for an hour, like they were old friends.

The Rock told him to call anytime, which O'Melko did often.

The Rock promised to meet him.

And O'Melko believed.

So as the summer melted away and school approached, O'Melko called to remind The Rock of his promise.

Wheels turned.

And a couple of weeks ago O'Melko and his family flew to California where they were escorted in a limousine, put up at the Sheraton and given VIP passes to Universal Studios.

All paid for by The Rock.

Then came the meeting in the Sheraton lobby. And then a couple of hours talking to The Rock with some other kids at a private lunch reception.

As expected, O'Melko, always outgoing, asked most of the questions.

He asked The Rock about his new movies, about his wife and daughter, about how much he misses his dead grandfather.

He watched a short movie with The Rock and the other kids. They all took pictures. The Rock gave O'Melko an autographed photo.

To Derek, Great meeting you, my man! Thank you for all the inspiration! Stay strong. Your friend, The Rock.

It was tough to say goodbye.

"I told him he's my hero and I love him," O'Melko said. "He told me that I'm his hero and his inspiration."

"A dream come true for my son," said mom, Debbie McLaughlin. "It's one of two things I needed to do, that and see him graduate.

"What a genuine caring soul," she said of The Rock. "It's hard to believe. You don't always see a lot of that goodness in the world." The Rock promised to call when O'Melko graduates from high school this winter.

He promised to send him tickets when he wrestles again.

O'Melko seems confident as always.

He already has the cell phone number and the gifts and the memories.

"We'll definitely keep in touch," the kid said, believing.

Reach Frank Bodani at 771-2104 or fbodani@ydr.com.


1blue hen
      ID: 26957123
      Sat, Oct 02, 2004, 02:05
I have hardly the hardships of that young fellow, but Rocky was especially nice when I met him. I think he's a genuinely good guy and I'm happy to see him succeed.
3RecycledSpinalFluid
      Dude
      ID: 204401122
      Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 15:13
I have deleted post 2 as utterly inappropriate and notified Guru of its original content.
4blue hen
      ID: 16322314
      Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 15:24
Man, this brings back memories. I met The Rock more than five years ago, and he was exceptionally nice.
5Tree
      ID: 3533298
      Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 15:43
man, i shudder to think what was in post 2, and who it was from. without reading it, based on the response, i can tell i would have been offended. :o)

for all the crap wrestling, and wrestlers, get, they are for the most part normal people, who happen to be in the entertainment business.

some of the people here know that i'm pretty involved in the wrestling business, and count numerous wrestlers among my friends, and to a person, they are almost very good with the fans if approached in the right situation.

reading this story made me very happy. they don't get much bigger than The Rock, and it would be easy enough for him to blow something like this off.

good for him, and again, good to see a "feel good" story about wrestling after the brutal year we've had.

6Greg Rude
      ID: 10146250
      Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 17:58
Great story.

*Does Rude Dance*
7Mike D
      Leader
      ID: 041831612
      Tue, Feb 26, 2008, 22:57
Coincidentally, read this today:

WWE AND MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION EXTEND THEIR PARTNERSHIP

WWE announced today that it has signed a new multi-year agreement with Make-A-Wish Foundation during a joint press conference at the US Airways
Center. The partnership's first act under the new sponsorship commitment will be to hold WWE's biggest wish-granting event ever at WrestleMania XXIV on March 30th in Orlando.

More than 50 children during the course of the next few weeks will be meeting their favorite WWE Superstars and have fun at the Universal Orlando Resort. Then on the day of WrestleMania, they will be officially inducted into the WWE Make-A-Wish "Circle of Champions" at the annual Bacon, Bagels and Biceps brunch.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation also recognized John Cena with an award to celebrate his 100th wish granted to a Make-A-Wish child.

WWE is one of the longest partners of Make-A-Wish and in 2004 the Foundation paid tribute to WWE with its Chris Greicius Celebrity Award, which recognizes organizations and individuals from the entertainment and sports worlds for their inspirational wish-granting activities. Over the past years, Jesse Ventura, Hulk Hogan, The Rock and the person in charge for organizing these events, WWE's Sue Aitchison also received the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award.
8MC
      ID: 491113413
      Thu, Dec 04, 2008, 14:14
I worked with Derek at a movie theater in Pennsylvania. Nobody liked him and he eventually quit because of always trying to use his phone during work. I remember when the Gameplan came out he would just stare at the giant poster we had and it looked like he had a boner. Then, when we were supposed to be checking and cleaning theaters, we would always find him in the Gameplan theater, sometimes for the whole movie. I am pretty sure he saw it 9 times. What a bitch.
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