The war in Ukraine is in its 111th day, with hundreds of people leaving their homes each day. And whilst sorrow, misery, fear, and uncertainty rain down on those caught up in the horridness of it all, there are some lights that shine through the darkness and bring hope to those that need it the most.
One of those is a young refugee with Down syndrome, who only agreed to leave because his mother assured him they were going to meet his hero, John Cena. The wrestling star, having heard their story, was determined to make that happen.
Go grab some tissues for this one, as it’s quite heartwarming. Once that’s done, let’s dive into the story.
More info: Twitter
John Cena paid a surprise visit to a 19-year-old Ukrainian refugee fan with Down syndrome and his family in Amsterdam
Image credits: WWE
A Ukrainian refugee family fled their home in Mariupol in search of safety, yet they faced a unique challenge as 19-year-old Misha Rohozhyn, who has Down syndrome and is nonverbal, found the prospect of leaving home confusing and agitating.
In order to reassure her son, Liana told him they were traveling to meet his hero, John Cena. It seemed to calm him, thus making the journey to Amsterdam much more possible.
Misha found the prospect of leaving home confusing and agitating, but his mom Liana calmed him down by saying they were going to meet with his hero, John Cena
Image credits: WWE
The family’s trip was noticed by news media, such as the Wall Street Journal, which reported that Misha would cry in his room in Amsterdam because they had yet to meet with John Cena.
His mom, Liana, tried once more to reassure him: “I tell him, ‘We’re not finished with our journey, but we need to stop here and save up a little for a ticket to America, to find him there.’”
Having heard of Misha and how much he wanted to meet him, John Cena organized a surprise visit
Image credits: WWE
John caught wind of the story and it touched him greatly. For those unfamiliar, John Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, and author, who first gained fame with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organization.
During his wrestling career, Cena won more than 15 WWE world championships and became one of the organization’s most popular wrestlers, inspiring many. But that’s not all.
Since arriving to Amsterdam, Misha had been crying in his room that they'd not met John yet, but finally, those tears would cease
Image credits: WWE
Cena has been working together with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and to date, no other celebrity has granted as many wishes as him.
The number is currently over 650 and there’ll probably be many more to come. Considering this particular story we’re delving into, it’s no surprise that John would make one more dream come true.
Hugs quickly ensued as Liana burst into tears upon the star wrestler's arrival. John told Misha: "I’ve come a long way to see you. I’ve heard many things about you"
Image credits: WWE
“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,” Cena said in the video posted by WWE. “Having three days off 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.’”
As Cena showed up wearing a baseball cap and green t-shirt branded with his catchphrase “Never Give Up”, the family was ecstatic, Liana bursting into tears. He told the young man, “I’ve come a long way to see you. I’ve heard many things about you.” The star shared hugs with Misha and his mom before proceeding to the special afternoon they had together.
Image credits: WWE
Image credits: WWE
They spent the afternoon playing with building blocks, eating cake and comparing muscles, with Cena teaching the boy his famous “You can’t see me!” move
Image credits: WWE
Cena said that the time was spent “building blocks and eating cake” with new friends that he was able to meet. The video also showed the pair comparing their muscles and John teaching Misha his famous “You can’t see me!” hand move.
Later on in the visit, Cena gifted his t-shirt and baseball cap to Misha and put them on him. But that wasn’t all. Misha got his own WWE Championship belt and a figurine of his hero. John told Misha that “this was a wonderful adventure in which I got to meet a wonderful new friend. Thank you for giving me strength.”
Image credits: WWE
John gifted his t-shirt and baseball cap to Misha and put them on him. But that wasn’t all. Misha got his own WWE Championship belt and a figurine of his hero
Image credits: WWE
Near the end of the video, Misha’s mother thanked Cena for his thoughtfulness in coming to meet her son, saying, “John, thank you. You have a big heart.”
But he himself believes that the family are the ones deserving of praise: “Misha's ability to embrace persistence. That's extraordinary. Those words 'never give up,' we've all thought about those in our life, they're very powerful and I think Misha is a great example," Cena said. "Misha's mom, they're two great examples of how persistence can lead to joy even during the toughest of times."
John shared the video on Twitter, captioning it with: “What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. Misha and his mother, Liana define #NeverGiveUp. Thank you to the WSJ and WWE who helped make this special visit possible.”
Image credits: WWE
John told Misha that “this was a wonderful adventure in which I got to meet a wonderful new friend. Thank you for giving me strength”
Image credits: WWE
The Rohozhyn family is one of millions that have crossed over the borders of Ukraine and, sadly, this number continues to grow. UNHCR told another story of Valentina, who cradled her two-month-old nephew Andrii in her lap. “I never thought I would have to leave my home. That I would have to flee just to save my life,” Valentina said.
The 42-year-old kindergarten teacher arrived in Poland on March 5th along with her eight-year-old daughter, sister, and baby nephew. “We gathered some things and fled. We were suddenly... refugees,” Irinia, Andrii’s mother, explained. “Our men stayed behind to defend our country. We took our children to safety.”
Misha’s mother thanked Cena for his thoughtfulness in coming to meet her son, saying, “John, thank you. You have a big heart”
Image credits: WWE
John believes that the family are the ones deserving of praise: "They're great examples of how persistence can lead to joy even during the toughest of times"
Image credits: WWE
“Now we have made it, but I can’t be happy, even though I hold our future in my hands, and he smiles at me all day,” Valentina said, looking down at Andrii.
“He is a refugee now, but he won’t stay one. We’ll look after him now. And when he is big and strong, he will rebuild our country.” She kissed his forehead, saying “maybutnye” — “future”.
Many stories continue outside of Ukraine and we can hope that they’ll all be able to go back to their homeland soon. If you’d like to support Ukraine, here is a list of resources.
We wish Misha and his family all the best and hope that they'll be able to return home soon
Image credits: WWE
We hope for all the best for Misha and his family and look forward to hearing more uplifting stories of human goodness emerging during this difficult time.
Here is the full video of their special day together
Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments below and I wish you all a safe day!
This heartwarming story has made a lot of people emotional. Let us know your thoughts and feelings in the comments!
