John Cena meets Ukrainian teenager with Down's syndrome

John Cena has met a Ukrainian teenager with Down’s syndrome who used him as inspiration while fleeing the country. The WWE legend travelled to the Netherlands to meet 19-year-old fan Misha Rohozhyn, who fled from Mariupol in March with his family amid the Russian invasion.

During their journey, Misha’s mother Liana motivated her son with a “motivational fantasy” that the Hollywood 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 said 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.

He told Misha: “I’ve come a long way to see you. Very nice to see you. I’ve heard many things about you.” 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.

“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.

Source: IOL