So many have been affected by the war in Ukraine, and a recent story by the Wall Street Journal shined a light on a small family who found a way out of the war zone to safety. Liana Rohozhyna and her 19-year-old son Misha, maneuvered through dangerous areas and constant bombardment as they made their way from the city of Mariupol, Misha has Down syndrome, which meant that they couldn’t always stay underground and in basements for safety, but Liana would keep him going with a purpose, which was that they were trying to track down his favorite wrestler John Cena. After the story ran and they were safe, Cena saw the story and traveled to meet Misha and Liana in person, and it had a profound effect on all three.
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Misha’s old room was adorned with posters of Cena, and his tablet, which at one point was taken by Russian soldiers during their journey, was filled with videos and photos of Cena too. You can imagine then how overjoyed Liana and Misha were to meet Cena, who came in to meet them and spend the day with them, building with blocks, eating cake, and even synchronizing Cena’s ‘You can’t see me’ move.
“When I first read Misha’s story, it reached out to me. Not just Misha’s story, but the story of Misha’s mom as well,” Cena said. “Having three days off from work right at the time that I read the story and being an hour away by air, it turned immediately into we’re going. And that means spending an afternoon building blocks and eating cake. That’s a special afternoon when it comes to the new friends I was able to meet.”
Cena gave Misha his shirt and hat and even had a WWE Championship for him, and later on, Misha even showed off the training he’s been doing.
“Misha’s ability to embrace persistence, that’s extraordinary. Those words never give up, We’ve all thought about those in our lives, they are very powerful. I think Misha is a great example, and Misha’s mom, they are two great examples of how persistence can lead to joy, even through the toughest of times,” Cena said.
Before he left Cena had a translator tell Misha “This was a wonderful adventure in which I got to meet a wonderful new friend. Thank you for giving me strength.” As he was about to leave, Cena said “How special is today? Pretty darn special.” You can watch the full video in the post above, and you can find the full story on Liana and Misha’s journey here.
