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John Cena meets Ukrainian teenager with Down’s syndrome who used WWE star as motivation while fleeing Russian invasion-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The Hollywood star says 19-year-old Misha gives him strength.
John Cena was visibly moved by the meeting (Picture: WWE)
John Cena had an emotional meeting with a Ukrainian teenager with Down’s syndrome who used him as motivation while fleeing the country amid the Russian invasion.
The WWE legend and Hollywood actor travelled to the Netherlands to meet 19-year-old fan Misha Rohozhyn, who fled from Mariupol in March with his family and was inspired by the dream of seeing his hero.
During their journey, Misha’s mother Liana kept her son going with a “motivational fantasy” that the star would greet them at the end of their travels, and he was upset Cena wasn’t there when they arrived in May.
However, the Peacemaker actor saw Misha’s story in The Wall Street Journal and explained in a video shared by WWE: ‘When I read about Misha’s story it reached out to me – not just Misha‘s story but his mom’s as well.
‘Having three days off from work right at the time I read the story, and being an hour away by air, it turned into “We’re going.”
‘And that means spending an afternoon building blocks, eating cake – that’s a special afternoon when it comes to new friends I was able to meet.’
Cena – who is currently in London for filming – visited the teenager, who can’t speak, at a refugee centre near Amsterdam, and presented the WWE fan with a championship belt, his own shirt and cap, and an action figure.
‘I’ve come a long way to see you. Very nice to see you. I’ve heard many things about you,’ he told Misha.
In a video shared by WWE, he said: ‘Misha’s ability to embrace persistence is extraordinary, those words, ‘never give up’… they’re very powerful.
John Cena surprised Misha in the Netherlands (Picture: WWE)
Misha’s mother motivated him by saying they would meet John Cena after leaving Ukraine (Picture: WWE)
Cena flew out to meet the young fan (Picture: WWE)
‘I think Misha’s a great example and Misha’s mom, there’s two great examples about how persistence can lead to joy, even through the toughest of times.’
Cena and Misha even compared muscles, and the actor thanked the teenager for ‘giving him strength’ before they shared another embrace.
He told him: ‘This was a wonderful adventure in which I got to meet a wonderful new friend, thank you for giving me strength.’
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He added to the camera: ‘How special is today? Yeah, pretty darn special.’
In another clip, Cena and Misha sent a message to WWE superstar Alexa Bliss as they waved to the camera and said ‘hello’.
Bliss responded to the video, and tweeted: ‘Hi Misha !!! sending so many hugs ! Thank you @JohnCena !!! This warms my heart so much (sic)’
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