John Cena has broken a record within the Make-A-Wish foundation and officially granted over 650 wishes.
The 45-year-old professional wrestler, who became the first celebrity to hit this milestone, has become known for his work helping children between the ages of two and 18 through the organisation, fulfilling the wishes of those with critical illnesses.
The World Wrestling Entertainment, (WWE), celebrated Cena’s accomplishment on Twitter and shared a photo of Cena hugging a fan.
In the caption, they wrote: “@JohnCena has granted more wishes via @MakeAWish than any other celebrity in history. #CenaMonth.”
Along with Cena, fellow WWE star Hulk Hogan and former professional racecar driver Jeff Gordon have each granted more than 200 wishes through the Make-A-Wish foundation. However, no celebrity other than the Peacemaker star has made it beyond 300.
As noted in a Facebook post shared by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2019, Cena has been the “most-requested celebrity by wish kids, as he fosters strength, hope and transformation for wish kids and their families all over the world”.
Last January, Cena spoke about how he’s remained involved with the organisation throughout his professional career during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. He says one of the “coolest things [he’s] heard in [his] life” is that a child’s wish is to see him.
“The reason I love Make-A-Wish so much is because those are those families’ wishes,” the actor explained. “You can do anything you want, and Make-A-Wish’s list is enormous, they literally will do anything you want - ‘I want to kick it with John Cena and go see him wrestle’ - that is the coolest thing I have ever heard in my life.”
“It means a lot of things,” he added. “It means when we engage, when a wish actually happens, it’s something that someone wants. And we’re the finish line, and the joy on their face.”
Back in November 2019, after Cena had granted 600 wishes, he also discussed how he had told Make-A-Wish that he intends on prioritising his charity work over his career.
“I said, ‘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,’” the Suicide Squad star told People at the time. “We’ve all experienced that joy of giving a gift for the holidays where you just nail it — that’s the same gift I get in giving back to people’s lives, in being able to give them wonderful emotional moments.”
