Last year, Benjamin decided to introduce the world to his secret superpower and set the record straight on what he could do.
Benjamin Russo is no ordinary kid. At just 9 years of age, this young Canadian boy had mastered a superpower. One that many considered a disability, but in reality gave him the ability to do something few others could. Last year, Benjamin decided to introduce the world to his secret superpower and set the record straight on what he could do. You see, young Benjamin has dyslexia and while the condition makes it difficult to read and write, it is also what gave him the spacial intelligence to create this masterpiece you see here:
But how exactly did he make this stunning portrait of the WWE superstar John Cena? With a lot of Rubik's cubes and a lot more patience. Benjamin shared a video of how he went about creating this spectacular portrait of the Fast & Furious 9 star on YouTube and the video sent out a very powerful message about dyslexia and those who are affected by it. "Hi. My name is Benjamin. I am 9-years-old. I have Dyslexia. I struggle with reading and writing, I mix up my words. I get very frustrated and upset too sometimes," the young boy says in the video by holding up signs in a very Love Actually manner.
"But..," Benjamin continues, "having dyslexia also means I can do something amazing! Like this..." In the timelapse video that follows, the talented young lad is seen arranging the squares on each Rubik's cube as per the design and arranging the cubes one by one on the floor to slowly create a mosaic of John Cena's face. "Dyslexia is not my disability. Dyslexia is my SUPERPOWER," Benjamin smiles wide as he holds up the last two cards. Speaking to CTV, the boy's mother Melanie Russo revealed that her son can copy patterns with amazing speed.
He also finishes single sides of the cubes within about a second, Melanie—elementary school teacher—said, adding, "When he did one side, that's when he figured out he can do it." The proud mother clarified that not all children with dyslexia can perform the same feat or are masters of Rubik's Cubes as her young Benjamin. It is her son's strong spacial intelligence that enables him to solve patterns quickly, she said. For the John Cena portrait, Benjamin finished the 750 cubes and arranged them on the floor to create the mosaic in about five hours over the span of a few weeks.
With his achievement going viral on social media, the video eventually reached the eyes of John Cena himself. The star took to Twitter to praise young Benjamin, writing, "This is the embodiment of #NeverGiveUp. Benjamin demonstrates courage, perseverance, vulnerability, tremendous strength... and he’s an ARTIST! I admire you, your work, and your outlook."
This is the embodiment of #NeverGiveUp.
— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 29, 2019
Benjamin demonstrates courage, perseverance, vulnerability, tremendous strength... and he’s an ARTIST! I admire you, your work, and your outlook.https://t.co/HtChYVAj32