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Jarrius Robertson to receive WWE’s Warrior Award
‘Being honored by WWE means the world to me. I feel very blessed.’
11:44 AMWWE announced on Monday that teenage superfan Jarrius Robertson will receive the professional wrestling company’s annual Warrior Award, given to an individual who has “exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with courage and compassion,” at April’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Robertson, a longtime fan of WWE, was diagnosed at 4 weeks old with biliary atresia, a rare chronic liver disease that inhibits weight gain and stunts growth. He’s had dozens of surgeries, including two liver transplants since he was a year old.
“I can’t believe I have been chosen to be the 2018 Warrior Award recipient,” Robertson told WWE.com. “Being honored by WWE means the world to me. I feel very blessed.”
The 15-year-old Louisiana native’s story has been well-chronicled over the past two years, starting with the New Orleans Saints, Robertson’s favorite team, inviting him to games and practices and, in October 2016, signing the teenager to a one-day contract.
In between surgeries — The Times-Picayune of New Orleans reports at least 36 — to treat the illness, Robertson has advocated for organ donation based on his motto of “It Takes Lives to Save Lives.”
Robertson was the recipient of the 2017 Jimmy V Perseverance Award at The ESPYS in July and was awarded the WWE Hero award for “courage, perseverance, and dedication to helping others” a month before that.
The Warrior Award was introduced in 2015 to honor individuals who embodied the spirit of the late Ultimate Warrior, who died in 2014 just three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Past winners include former football player Eric LeGrand, former Good Morning America host Joan Lunden and cancer patient Connor Michalek.
The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will stream live at 8 p.m. EDT on April 6 from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.