John Cena: Champion to Children with Special Medical Needs

When it comes to holding the heavyweight championship belt of wish-granting, WWE professional wrestling star John Cena has that title all wrapped up.

Cena has granted a record-breaking 659 wishes (as of 06/27/2022) for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that bestows the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, according to Wish.org.

Cena’s milestone is more than any other celebrity ever. Mega popstar Justin Bieber is a distant second.

To me, it’s more than pure athletic skill that makes an athlete special. The most commendable ones know how to conduct themselves on and off the field, or in the ring, Cena’s case. They also go the extra mile to serve as positive role models to children.

Well, then consider the Ferdinand star a bonafide winner. Considering the hectic schedule most pro wrestlers adhere to, with no offseason, and add in several movie appearances and a stint as the host of Fox’s T.V. show America Grit, Cena’s feat is even more impressive.

Cena granted his first wish in 2004, approximately two years after his WWE debut, and continues to inspire and lift the spirits of healthy and medically ill children alike.

I’ve met Cena in person twice in my lifetime, and he always struck me as an upstanding gentleman, with a love for his fans and sports entertainment. His Make-A-Wish Foundation selfless record is just a testament to his given spirit and babyface persona.

One of the West Newbury, Massachusetts, native’s mottos is Never Give Up, something the ill children he visits feel after a visit from Cena, I’m sure.

Hustle, loyalty, respect, John Cena. We can see you, and you are the man!!

— Jerry Del Priore

(Update on Monday, June 27th, 2022).