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What a day: Struthers girl meets her idol
Photo
MEETING MILEY: Suzie Mazzocco of Struthers, held by her dad, Tony, gets her picture taken with her favorite singer, Miley Cyrus, before Cyrus’ Cleveland concert Sunday. At left is Suzie’s mother, Kelley.
A community pulled together to grant a child’s wish.
STRUTHERS — Suzie Mazzocco had quite a day Sunday.
Suzie, 9, got her hair done in the morning and had breakfast delivered to the salon.
She went back to her Elm Street home and rushed to dress, because soon, the limo would be picking her up to take her, her family and a few friends to Cleveland, where they would watch pop star Miley Cyrus — her idol — rehearse during a sound check before her concert that evening at Quicken Loans Arena.
As the limo pulled up to the arena, Suzie got to know a little bit about what it was like to be a star.
“Kids were running after the limo,” said Suzie’s mother, Kelley. “They thought it was Miley.”
Then the Struthers Elementary School third-grader went in with a group of about 100 other people for the sound check.
Most in the group had won radio contests, said Laurie Serenko, an intervention specialist at the school who also went to the concert with Suzie.
Suzie was there, though, because people in the community cared enough to make her happy. She has had 17 surgeries since shortly after her birth because of a rare bone-growth disorder. Her biggest wish was to meet Cyrus, the singer and actress who plays Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel show.
Serenko spearheaded an effort by staff at the school to get her to the Cleveland concert.
Radio station Hot 101-FM donated tickets for Suzie and her family, and businesses in the community donated everything from the limo to the hair salon visit to pizza and ice cream for a party after Suzie was surprised with the tickets at a school assembly Nov. 11.
The best part of it all?
“Meeting Miley,” said Suzie on Monday. “She’s very nice.”
A radio personality at Hot 101 had contacted a producer with Hollywood Records, Cyrus’ Disney-owned label.
Serenko e-mailed the producer a link to a Vindicator story about the assembly.
Not only did Suzie get to go to the sound check and have her picture taken with the singer, but she also got a few minutes to talk to Cyrus.
She presented Cyrus with flowers, a copy of The Vindicator story and a CD of TV news coverage.
“[Cyrus] was friendly and cute,” said Serenko. “She said, ‘Rock on. Are y’all gonna enjoy my concert?’”
Suzie didn’t say too much in return, observed her mother and Serenko.
But the smile never left her face, Serenko said.
Suzie also got a special present — an autographed CD of Cyrus’ new album.
Cyrus gave no other autographs Sunday, and Suzie was the only one to get a CD, Kelley said.
They sang to it — loudly — all the way home from Cleveland, she said. “The poor limo driver put his ear plugs in.”
starmack@vindy.com