The WWE has just celebrated John Cena’s record-breaking commitment to the Make-A-Wish Foundation that has seen him make the lives of over 650 sick children brighter.
In recent years, Cena has parlayed his wrestling superstardom into a successful movie and TV career, but the generous acts that he is now being celebrated for have been a part of his life for the last 20 years.
And while we’ll hear about heartwarming isolated cases that saw him surprise a wounded police officer with a big visit and donate $500,000 to Californian firefighters , Cena has also made it clear that the passion dearest to his heart is the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
After he recently received some heartfelt accolades for how he fulfilled one Ukrainian mother’s promise to her fleeing son with Down syndrome, his impressive long-form commitment to the children’s charity is now being recognized as the record-shattering achievement it is.
Ever since Cena was a WWE rookie in 2002, he’s been an active and enthusiastic partner of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Although he told People that the first time he worked with the foundation saw him “shuffled around” because he wasn’t so well-known at the time, he got curious about the organization once he was told “Make-A-Wish thanks you.”
Once he learned that the foundation was dedicated to making the dreams of seriously ill children come true, he jumped at the chance to help out more.
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As he put it, “If you ever need me for this ever, I don’t care what I’m doing, I will drop what I’m doing and be involved because I think that’s the coolest thing.”
And in a video released by the WWE to commemorate his 500th wish granted in 2015 , he elaborated on what he finds so fulfilling about working with the foundation.
In his words, “I can’t say enough about how cool it is to see the kids so happy and the families so happy. I really want to make them feel like it’s not just another show, it’s truly their day.”
And in the seven years since then, Cena has remained just as committed to those children to the point that he has broken even this record for the most wishes the Make-A-Wish Foundation has ever seen fulfilled by one person.
In a celebratory image posted to Twitter for “Cena Month,” the WWE confirmed that he has now granted more than 650 wishes for children in need.
For reference, Ladbible noted that Hulk Hogan and race car drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon have all granted over 200 wishes. Yet nobody besides Cena has ever made that difference for 300 children, let alone 600.
So each time he grants another wish, he sets a new record.
And this passion of his has earned him some die-hard fans who consider him the greatest of all time both inside and outside the ring.
As one of them put it in a tweet responding to news of Cena’s broken record, “John Cena is such a great person. Man the amount of good things he does like the make a wish foundation is incredible! This is why I respect John as a human being. He has a big heart and cares for people.”
h/t: People
