John Cena surprises a non-verbal teen with Down’s Syndrome who fled Ukraine

Greg P. | 8:21 PM on June 12, 2022

Need a little pick-me-up story for your Sunday night? It’s been a long week and we sure do.

If so, meet Misha, a non-verbal teen with Down’s Syndrome who fled Ukraine for Amsterdam earlier this year. Misha’s mom, in order to keep him calm during the evacuation, told him that the reason for the trip was to search for John Cena, Misha’s hero.

Well, Cena himself heard the story and flew to Amsterdam to meet Misha and make he mom wasn’t a liar. Have a watch:

Misha, a non-verbal teen with Down’s Syndrome, didn’t understand why his family had to flee Mariupol this year.

To placate him, his mother told him they were travelling to meet John Cena.

Cena heard… and went to Amsterdam to oblige.

Just brilliant. pic.twitter.com/vix2OhkXZs

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) June 11, 2022

Misha’s story was first reported in the Wall Street Journal:

here's the story I've been working on for the past 2 months: https://t.co/8zjFrkcXoM
there's so much left unsaid behind these quotes and photos. but I'm glad I got to know these people, and to take care of their words, doing the best I could with my translation.

— Maryna Dubyna 🇺🇦 (@doob_log) May 28, 2022

It’s getting a little dusty in here:

In all the suffering of war, for people with such disabilities, the trauma is often magnified. For some, shattered routines stir extreme stress. Those with sensory hypersensitivity find sirens, raised voices and explosions particularly jarring. Physical disabilities make escape harder.

From Mariupol, the family and others who sought refuge in the center called Povir v Sebe, or “Believe in Yourself,” escaped westward across Ukraine, navigating minefields, air raids and the extra difficulties that disabilities can bring. As they moved from town to town, Ms. Rohozhyna calmed Misha by telling him their constant movement had a purpose, which was to track down his hero, U.S. pro wrestler John Cena.