Make-a-Wish helps ailing boy meet John Cena

ISLAMABAD: Tanzilur Rehman, 17, who is suffering from muscular dystrophy, had his unique wish of meeting his favourite celebrity John Cena fulfilled, says a press release on Saturday.

Make-A-Wish Foundation, Pakistan, fulfilled Rehman’s wish by making him meet the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion and watch Cena fight live at a Real American Wrestling (RAW) event in Ohio,US on Tuesday.

Tanzil, suffering from muscular dystrophy gets a chance to meet John Cena, has never missed any of Cena’s fights since 2010. “I watch every match of his regardless of the time it gets aired in Pakistan and, if I miss a match, I watch it online,” Tanzil said.

He was two years old when his parents noticed that he had difficulty in walking. “We took him to a doctor and he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy,” boy’s father Hafiz Azeem recalled.

Tanzil cannot move his hand or turn around but he can talk. He studied at Defence Authority Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed School till class three but was unable to continue his schooling due to his ailment. “We got him admitted into Iqra School instead, where he became a hafiz,” said Azeem.

The father shared that his son was intelligent and a position holder at school. “After leaving school and completing his Quranic education, he now studies online with the help of his elder sister, Nimra, and younger brother, Kashan,” he added.

Aamir Khan meets fan with genetic disorder, leaves him ‘optimistic.’ “We help him in every way possible,” said Nimra, adding that they never let him feel alone and take him along everywhere.

“He has promised to send a limousine for Rehman to bring him to the RAW event,” said Make-A-Wish Foundation Pakistan founding president Ishtiaq Baig. Rehman’s name will also be announced before the fight, mentioning him as a special guest from Pakistan, added Baig.

The foundation in Pakistan is an affiliate of the international Make-A-Wish Foundation, which spreads across 60 other countries. It is the biggest wish granting organisation for children and grants the most cherished wishes of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.  “We do not want any child to leave this world with an unfulfilled wish,” Baig explained.