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WWE Stars Visit Sick Children at Montefiore

WWE Stars Visit Sick Children at Montefiore
(L-R) WWE STARS the “Big E,” Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston meet with these young patients and staff at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.
Photo by David Greene

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstars Becky Lynch, “Bayley,” Xavier Woods and the “Big E” joined WWE ambassador Dana Warrior as the group paid a special visit to sick and chronically ill kids at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Norwood.

The special event was held at the Bainbridge Avenue hospital on Aug. 16, ahead of WWE’s SummerSlam, held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Aug. 20.

Passing doctors and nurses snapped cell phone photos of the wrestlers as they spoke with the children, posed for pictures and signed autographs.

Jhenlyva Vargas of Westchester County, who would turn 18 the following day, was obviously in a great deal of pain as she waited for her favorite wrestler, Kofi Kingston. Vargas perked up and even cried when she met the wrestlers.

The younger Vargas said, “I am a big fan and it’s very nice they came here to visit.”

WWE Stars Visit Sick Children at Montefiore
WWE START BECKY Lynch poses for a photo with Carl and Clarence Aguirre.
Photo by David Greene

The event at CHAM capped a week-long list of events to schools and community centers around the New York City area by members of the WWE.

Arlene Aguirre, who was with her two once conjoined twin boys, Carl and Clarence, said of the event, “This is great. I’m very excited for the kids. We were also here last year when they visited.”

Clarence and Carl, 15, have been continuing follow-up medical treatment 13 years after coming from the Philippines, so doctors could separate the conjoined twin boys.

Both boys smiled as they posed for a photo with Becky Lynch.

Rosie Arenas of Fordham watched her daughter Dulce Maaria, 9, sharing a moment with Lynch. Arenas said of the event, “She’s so excited that they came to visit today. She’s happy when she attends their events and I enjoy them too.”

Lynch said after meeting with many of her fans, “This is amazing. All of the kids are so wonderful and have been so welcoming to us. And as happy as they are to see us, we are a million times more happy to see them.”

Lynch added, “It’s just been such a great day. We always felt at the WWE that our goal is to put smiles on people’s faces and we feel like were doing that today and they are definitely putting smiles on our faces.”

Meghan D. Kelly, director of CHAM’s Phoebe H. Stein Child Life Program and WN Explainer Program, thanked the pro-wrestlers for taking time out of “their busy schedule for the Summer Slam this weekend on their day off and visit with them.”

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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