John Cena surprised one of his biggest fans after hearing the teenager’s inspiring story about escaping Ukraine.
Misha Rohozhyn, who is non-verbal with Down syndrome, recently fled his home in Mariupol’ after it was destroyed during the Ukrainian War. As the wrestler’s “biggest fan,” Misha’s mother, Liana, told her son they would be traveling to meet Cena – in order to continue on in their quest to travel across Europe to safety.
John Cena surprised his superfan in heartwarming video
After hearing the story and already having been [close by] in Europe, Cena decided to travel an hour away to surprise Misha just outside Amsterdam.
In a sweet video posted by WWE, Cena was seen walking up to the teen and shaking his hand before giving him and his family a round of hugs.
“Misha, very nice to meet ya. I’ve come a long way to see you. I’ve heard many things about you,” Cena said as Misha’s mother cried and thanked him in the background.
“When I read about Misha’s story, it reached out to me. Not just Misha’s story but the story of Misha’s mom as well,” he explained. “It happened three days out from work, right at the time when I read this story, and being an hour away by air, it turned immediately into ‘we’re going’ and that means, spending an afternoon of building blocks and eating cake. That’s a special afternoon when it comes to the new friends I was able to meet.”
The two spent the day together, successfully communicating using a translater, hand gestures, and plenty of smiles. Cena also decked out his #1 fan in WWE merchandise, including a tee-shirt, hat, and official wrestling championship belt.
Cena thanked Misha for the adventure and for giving him strength
The actor continued to explain what it meant to see Misha’s perseverance, especially after the tragedy that he had just gone through of losing his home.
“Misha’s ability to embrace persistence, that’s extraordinary,” said Cena. “Those words never give up. We’ve all thought about those in our lives, they’re very powerful, I think Misha and Misha’s mom they’re two great examples of how persistence can lead to joy even through the toughest of times.”
Cena went on to thank Misha and his family for demonstrating the true meaning of strength.
“This was a wonderful adventure in which I got to meet a wonderful new friend,” he said. “Thank you for giving me strength.”