Trey Gogerty entered his basement like a wrestler making his option to the ring.
The 7-year-old WWE fan, three years to the day after he was identified with most cancers, climbed down the steps and walked into his newly renovated lower-level hangout transformed by NBC’s “George to the Rescue.”
Contained in the basement, a video message was delivered from then WWE champion Cody Rhodes to Trey, who would quickly come face-to-face and toe-to-toe with different wrestling superstars.
“Trey, you’re an inspiration to your family, to your neighborhood, to everyone here at WWE, and that is why we have one more surprise for you,” Rhodes stated in a cell-phone video proven to the New Jersey household by host George Oliphant. “WWE is inviting you to ‘Monday Night Raw’ at the world’s most famous arena Madison Square Garden. Cannot wait for it, my friend. You deserve it.”
Trey, who had endured years of therapy that denied him sure childhood experiences loved by others his age, was dropped at tears.
“Trey’s reaction, I couldn’t believe it,” his father Rob stated. “It finally felt like him being happy about something and proud about something. It was surreal.”
The Gogerty household with WWE superstars Jey Uso and Rhea Ripley. (Photograph courtesy of “George to the Rescue”)
Trey was 4 years outdated when he started feeling sick and began to wrestle at school. After a sequence of visits to the physician, it was on Valentine’s Day because the household was consuming dinner that Rob’s concern for his son elevated.
“I remember sitting at the table looking at Trey, and I kind of said flat out, it looks like he’s dying,” he recalled.
Later that evening, Trey’s pediatrician known as the home and informed the Gogertys to take him to medical middle instantly.
“They were waiting for us at the hospital because his organs were actually at a point of, like, they can start failing because his white blood cell count was way too high,” his mom Samantha stated. “Everyone came in saying he has cancer, and we have to get him started right away.”
The next day, Trey underwent surgical procedure and commenced chemotherapy.
“Two years of rigorous treatments, constant blood work and fever-incited doctors visits have created a stressful new normal for the Gogertys,” Oliphant stated.
Then in June of 2024, Trey lastly rang the bell – which, simply because it does in wrestling, represents the tip of a protracted and strenuous battle. He had accomplished his therapy cycle and was able to resume his childhood.
“Since his diagnosis,” Oliphant stated, “Trey has wished for an exciting basement escape where he can hang out with his friends, bond with his siblings and just be a kid.”
So, the “George to the Rescue” crew, which focuses on renovating properties for these in want, gave him his dream match.
The Gogerty household, which incorporates Trey’s three siblings, reside within the dwelling the place Rob had grown up.
“The basement is a bit of a time capsule from maybe the late 70s,” stated the present’s designer, Noel Gatts.
The fashion was extra from the period of Andre the Large than John Cena – with wooden paneling, archaic carpeting and stained ceiling tiles enveloping what Gatts known as “one long hall of toys.”
The challenge crew, with lead contractor Eric Couper of MC House Enhancements & Development, redesigned the basement with a retro seaside vibe for a household that adores the Jersey Shore. The brand new design divided what was previously a protracted, open corridor into a mess of areas that features a den, karaoke nook, exercise alley, and even a laundry lounge for mother and pa.
“When I walked down there, just living here basically my entire life, it was like walking into a new house,” Rob stated.
A Seventies period bar space was transformed right into a closet area. When Oliphant opened its doorways, the cabinets have been stocked with WWE swag despatched to the household from the corporate. Oliphant handed Trey a reproduction WWE championship belt.
“Do you guys know who Cody Rhodes is?” he requested as he cued up a video on his cellular phone that led to tears of pleasure from Trey.
“It was just so nice to see him like that,” Samantha stated, “because we haven’t.”
He was all smiles weeks later whereas in attendance for “Raw” at Madison Sq. Backyard, the place he was greeted backstage by WWE superstars Rhea Ripley and Jey Uso. Trey shook arms with the wrestlers, bought autographs, posed for footage and was even given a pair of Uso’s signature glasses.
Trey spent the evening residing like a wrestler, however most significantly, like a child once more.
“Thank you to George,” he stated.
