Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
That was a magic weekend. The year was 2017. We were in Rio de Janeiro for an event that we would remember forever, Rock in Rio. As is well known, the vibe of this festival is incredible. Everything revolves around music. Even if not openly admitted, it’s not only about rock ‘n’ roll. It includes multiple genres, with artists as diverse as Maroon 5 and Red Hot Chili Peppers. That year, a new space was used for the shows. It was the City of Rock located where the Olympic Park used to be. So many people from all over the world, young, happy, having such a good time. It was super cool meeting Shawn Mendes in person, who was playing in one of the days. More important, though, was the reason why we met him.
Make-a-wish for Nicole
We were participating in a project from Make-a-Wish Brazil. Our task was to bring a lovely girl, Nicole, to meet her life long idol, Shawn Mendes. We took a flight from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro that same day since that was where she lived. His public relations crew asked us to find him backstage before the show. We all were so excited! He was so nice to all of us. He talked with Nicole and her mom, Katia, took pictures with her and signed her merchandise. After this meet and greet, they prepared a special place for us to watch his show. In fact not only his, but also Maroon 5, Fergie, and Skank. We saw him do his performance mere meters away from us. And during the other shows, we saw him sneaking behind us to watch his fellow artists too. We were beyond delighted to live this experience!
Even Thiago and myself got to take a picture with Shawn Mendes
Paralympic athlete
Oh my goodness, this was seven years ago already! Nicole was just a girl then, and now, can you believe it, she has become a Paralympic athlete. She is a table tennis player and reached to the 1st place in Brazil’s, and 15th in international ranking. She has been participating in international competitions in places like Argentina and Colombia. I feel really proud of knowing her and seeing how far she is going. I wish her all the luck and success in the world!
Meeting Shawn Mendes was great, something we will cherish forever. Yet, knowing Nicole is the real accomplishment of that weekend. I guess I can say I met two famous people during that time. Seeing her grow since then has been truly rewarding.
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