John Cena

Heroic Boy gets a congratulations video from John Cena

By Caroline Lowder April 10, 2021
When Jaxson Dempsey’s 20-month-old sister started choking, he remained calm and called upon a lifesaving technique he had learned while watching WWE superstar John Cena preform on Nickelodeon’s The Substitutes.

Matt Dempsey encountered what could have been a tragic situation last month. While driving his children to a haircut, his 20-month-old daughter started choking on a chicken nugget. Luckily, there was an unsuspecting hero also sitting in the backseat, ready to jump into action.

When 8-year-old Jaxson saw his sister starting to choke, he remained calm and told his dad to pull over. He then started patting her on the back and successfully removed the blockage – a technique that he learned while watching WWE superstar John Cena preform on Nickelodeon’s The Substitutes.

As news spread of Jaxon’s lifesaving act, he became somewhat of a local hero. A parade was arranged to celebrate him on March 31st, where over one dozen fire trucks came out with their lights blaring and sirens wailing for the 8-year-old. The local mayor and state representative, Tara Toohill, also joined in the celebration.

On the 1st of April, Jaxson received yet another amazing surprise commending his bravery and heroism: a message from the man who inspired it all, John Cena.

Cena said in his video message: “Hey Jaxson, this is 16-time WWE champ and Peacemaker John Cena saying hello. Now I heard a story about you, and it really touched my heart. A story that in a time of crisis, you were brave enough to take action. Doing so, you saved your little sister’s life. I wanted to commend you because the actions of a true hero are those who do act in a time of crisis. Usually, when bad things happen, one of the toughest things for all of us to do is to take action. You jumped right in helped out the best you could. Doing so, you saved your sister’s life. I really want to say thank you for being you, Jaxson. Thank you for being an inspiration; thank you from all of us.”

While this hero might not have been expecting any big accolades, all the recognition has been an amazing way to show this young boy just how big of an impact a seemingly small act can have. Matt Dempsey, in a statement to WNEP, said the recognition for Jaxson has been a great way to fill his heart with joy.