Giovanna meets The Scottish Warrior

When she was five, Giovanna had her first seizure. Her father, Bob, took her to the hospital, where she underwent several tests and was sent home with no diagnoses.   

After that, Giovanna had no major health issues for about 5 years. Then, the seizures came back.

“They started coming in, and they started coming in bad,” says Bob. “One after the other. They were milder initially, then became much heavier and lasted much longer. It was really scary.”

Bob took Giovanna to see a neurologist. Due to the high quantity of seizures in the short time span, the neurologist diagnosed her as epileptic and prescribed her an oral anti-seizure medication called Vimpat.

Although the medication helped reduce the frequency and intensity of Giovanna's seizures, they still occurred from time to time. Bob did his best to ensure that Giovanna understood the facts of living with her condition.

"I want her to live her best life," says Bob. "I'm not going to stick her in a bubble. She has restrictions, but I don't want this to be a constant thing she worries about. She knows she's autistic. She knows she has epilepsy, and she cannot get a driver's license. I've always kept everything just purely honest with her."

When Giovanna was 16, her doctor revealed some exciting news during their regular three-month check in.  

"It came completely out of the blue," says Bob. "We were just talking, and the doctor goes, 'I've got a surprise for you. We put your name in for a wish.' None of us knew that Giovanna could even qualify. We couldn't believe it. Giovanna was so excited she almost fainted."

The wish came as a surprise, but the whole family already knew what Giovanna’s wish would be.

"I was like, 'I already know what my wish is,'" says Giovanna. "I wish to meet Drew McIntyre. No question about it!"

A friend had recently gotten Giovanna into professional wrestling by suggesting she watch WWE RAW. She was hooked and became a regular viewer of not only RAW, but also Smackdown and NXT. Among the WWE Superstars, "The Scottish Warrior" Drew McIntyre began to stand out to her—particularly after he won the Royal Rumble in 2020.

“I was like ‘wow, he won the Royal Rumble, I think he’s going to be a future WWE champion.’” Giovanna says. “And when he won the title, and I started watching him more and more and more, I’m like ‘wow, he’s so good.’”

Because of COVID-19, Giovanna didn’t know if she’d be able to meet McIntyre in person or virtually. Then, one day in February, Bob got a call from Giovanna's wish planner, revealing a thrilling surprise—Giovanna was going to meet Drew McIntyre in person!

“She screamed with joy when she found out,” says Bob, “She was so excited. And from that point on, the wish was all Giovanna could talk about.”

When the big day finally arrived, Giovanna and Bob flew out to Albany, New York, for a taping of Smackdown. They took a luxurious stretch limo to the MVP Arena, where they were greeted by Make-A-Wish Northeast New York CEO Bill Trigg and WWE Community Relations Manager Nick Fustor, who led them on a tour of the arena.

Throughout the tour, Giovanna encountered several WWE Superstars and was thrilled to chat with each of them, give them high fives and fist bumps, and even take selfies together.

“That was a lot of fun to meet all of her favorite wrestlers,” says Bob, “And just watching her interact with them all and seeing her so happy was so special. This really was her day.”

At the end of the tour, Giovanna was brought into a room where she would meet McIntyre. As soon as Giovanna heard the superstar’s voice, she ran into the reception area to give him a huge hug! 

The two spent a lively hour chatting about the wrestler's matches and opponents. McIntyre showered Giovanna with signed WWE memorabilia, sweaters, and posters—nearly two backpacks full of gifts!  

“I had so much energy when I was meeting Drew and he was so hilarious,” says Giovanna. “Drew was telling me to save my energy for the night, and I’m like, ‘no, I’m just way too excited to see you!’ It was so funny."

Before McIntyre set off to prepare for Smackdown, Giovanna gave him two special gifts she made for him—a drawing and a bracelet. McIntyre called the bracelet his "good luck charm” and put it on to wear during his matches. 

To watch the event, Giovanna was provided with noise-canceling headphones to help buffer the loud sounds, which trigger her seizures. Then, Giovanna and her dad were escorted to front-row seats to watch two back-to-back tapings of Smackdown!

The wish experience was almost over, but one more happy surprise awaited Giovanna. She thought The Scottish Warrior was done for the night, but he made one last appearance.

"It was near the end of the match, and I did not expect Drew to come out," says Giovanna. "But then he did! I figured he couldn't see me, but I waved anyway, and he actually waved back and got out of the ring, and he gave me the biggest hug ever! That was definitely my favorite part."

Giovanna says meeting Drew was one of the biggest highlights of her life and has helped her become more confident in herself. More than a year later, she still talks about the wish almost daily.

"Seeing Giovanna as happy as she was on her wish makes me a happy man," says Bob. "That euphoria still hasn't worn off for her. I could not have picked a better wish. Truly, this was her wish, and she's still on cloud nine. Make-A-Wish has knocked it out of the park for my daughter."