WASHINGTON — Actor and WWE star John Cena has set a new record for most wishes granted through the non-profit organization Make-A-Wish. Cena has officially granted 650 wishes to children with critical illnesses.
The professional wrestler and actor is one of the most requested celebrities for the organization, according to the Guinness World Records website. Make-A-Wish helps fulfill wishes for children, typically between ages 2 and 18, who have been diagnosed with critical illnesses.
Aside from Cena, nobody has granted more than 200 wishes for the organization in its 42-year history. Cena, who is 45, started working with the organization in 2002, and a decade later, he granted Make-A-Wish's 1000th wish.
In 2015, Cena hit a milestone of 500 wishes granted for the organization when he visited Rocco Lanzer, a boy from Queens, New York, who had been diagnosed with leukemia.
“I just drop everything,” Cena said in a 2015 Associated Press article. “If I can offer a fantastic experience, I’ll be first in line to do my part.”
Cena usually appears with one of his championship belts, ranging from his 13 WWE Championship to his three World Heavyweight Championship titles. Children spend the day with the Hollywood actor, take photos and sometimes can even get him behind the ring ropes, according to the Guinness World Records website.
“I want them to have an experience that will stay with them to forever,” Cena said in 2015. “I don’t ever want the children or their families to be treated in a way where they feel as if they’re up against anything at all.”
