Skip to content

John Cena sends message, book to Northern Ontario 13-year-old who had stroke

Wrestler is latest celebrity to reach out to North Bay hockey player during his recovery
20201005 cena Noah Dugas
John Cena sending encouraging words and sending along with a book for Noah Dugas. Photo courtesy Twitter.

Support and encouragement messages continue to come in for Noah Dugas; a 13-year-old local hockey player recovering from a stroke in a Toronto area hospital. 

The latest celebrity to show support for Noah and his story is actor and WWE superstar wrestler John Cena, who made a short video for Noah telling him he's sending him his new book, "Elbow Grease: Fast Friends."  

"Hey Noah, John Cena here. I wanted to let you know I am personally sending you a copy of 'Elbow Grease: Fast Friends,'" Cena said in the video message on Twitter. 

"Now you are probably asking yourself why, well, we share a lot in common. We both believe the words never give up have great meaning and this story embodies those words. I really hope you enjoy the book and I also hope you never lose faith in those three words - 'never give up.'" 

See related: Hockey world rallying around local hockey player

See related: A groundswell of support for local hockey player

See related: OPINION: The Noah Dugas story and the lessons taught

Noah's story took the hockey world by storm on September 19 when Noah's cousin Megan Odd went to Twitter seeking words of encouragement and support for the young hockey player.  

His story took off with thousands of messages of support from some of hockey's biggest stars including Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel and Jonathan Toews to name just a few. 

His story even led off the first intermission segment during the broadcast of game one of the Stanley Cup finals on Sportsnet September 19.  

Locally #NoahStrong fundraisers continue with T-Shirt campaigns and a GoFundMe campaign in support of the Ecole Secondaire Algonquin student.  



Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
Read more