John Cena was recently profiled on the Today website due to his bond with nine-year-old Nick Santillo, who he met in April 2013 as part of World Wish Day. Santillo was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (where part of the heart is underdeveloped). He met Cena on Today. They shook hands and Nick got to hold the WWE title.
Cena still has a bond with the boy, as evidenced by a live SmackDown taping in October. Nick and his father Mark were attending the taping and Cena saw them in the with the sign “Nick The Stitch Is Here” (his made up WWE name). Cena ran up the steps to greet him.
Nick said: “He gave me a big hug and asked how am I doing. I said ‘I am doing good.’”
Cena added: “It was so awesome to see him. I am inspired by Nick. If my running up those steps and saying hi to Nick continues to encourage him to fight to get well, even in a small way, then I absolutely had to do it.”
Last week Nick suffered a lung infection and a painful blockage between his gallbladder and liver which put him back in the hospital. His mother Victoria said: “My poor son was in so much pain. He was crying and screaming every time someone wanted to examine him.”
While he was in the hospital for four days, he held onto a John Cena rally towel with the words “never give up”. He is now at home and is doing well in school and sports. The website notes that he has an orange belt in karate and visited Disney World for the first time this past summer, the first time he or his brother went. He said he still remembers the advice Cena gave him. Cena said: “Keep fighting! Determination will carry you far in life.“
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