John Cena made one young, special needs Ukrainian refugee’s dream come true with a surprise encounter in Amsterdam, just as the teen’s mother said he would.
When Cena read that a Ukrainian refugee told her teen son with nonverbal Down Syndrome that they were fleeing the fallen city of Mariupol in order to meet the “Peacemaker” star in Amsterdam, Cena didn’t spare a second thought to make the meeting a reality.
Liana’s son, Misha, didn’t understand why his family had to journey across Europe following the destruction of their home, so she invoked his role model to encourage him to complete the move. And, on June 5, Cena obliged to fulfill the promise.
“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,” the WWE star said. “Having three days off from work, right when I read this story and being an hour away by air, it turned immediately into ‘We’re going.’”
In the roughly 3-minute clip, Cena and Misha shared plenty of hugs, ate cake and played with building blocks. The wrestling superstar also gave him his branded merchandise and WWE belt to pose for a photo. In a couple of heartwarming moments, the pair recreated his iconic “You Can’t See Me” catchphrase and move, as well as compared bicep muscles.
“This was a wonderful adventure, in which I got to meet a wonderful new friend,” Cena told Misha via a translator. “Thank you for giving me strength.”
“God, he’s so happy,” Liana said as she watched, adding later, “You [Cena] have a big heart.”
