BY KARA A. MEDALIS & JAMES WORTMAN

ST. LOUIS – John Willen accomplished what most members of the WWE Universe only dream of doing Sunday night at Survivor Series. The longtime WWE fan met WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

“This is an honor; this is a privilege to meet the big boss of WWE,” Willen told WWECommunity.com moments later. “I cannot be here, there’s no way. But I am!”

To top it off, not only did Willen meet and take photos with McMahon backstage at Scottrade Center, but he was also presented with a replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship, personally autographed by The Chairman.

“This was awesome. I did not see that one coming!” Willen said with the replica title slung over his shoulder as the Survivor Series Kickoff began in front of tens of thousands of WWE fans in St. Louis. “I’m trying to soak it all in!”

Willen, 53, is in hospice care in nearby Chesterfield, Mo. Jacob DeNap, chaplain of Crossroads Hospice, explained to WWECommunity.com how meeting McMahon left an immediate impact on Willen.

“At Crossroads Hospice, as part of our care plan, we recognize that people are more than just their illness, they are complete stories; they are complete persons with lives and narratives that bring them to the moment of us coming into their lives to treat them with their terminal illness,” DeNap said.

“We have a program that we call the ‘Ultimate Gift.’ Part of that ‘Ultimate Gift’ is something called the ‘Gift of a Day.’ ... We rely on the generosity of fantastic organizations like WWE,” DeNap explained pointing out that when asked what his perfect day would involve, Willen’s “Gift of a Day” wish was to meet McMahon.

“His response was, ‘I want to meet the boss. I want to meet Vince McMahon — that would be my dream. That would take my narrative and bring it into completion.’ ” DeNap said.

WWE invited Willen and his caregivers to Survivor Series, where the WWE fan was also surprised to meet several other Superstars.

“We had no idea we’d meet Big Show and John Cena. We had no idea we were going to go backstage. We were gifted enough to have tickets. We expected that tickets would be the end of it and it would still be a fantastic night; it would still be a fantastic show,” DeNap said. “For Mr. McMahon, for the rest of the WWE Superstars to come out and to show their love and to show their support, the whole community of WWE fandom ... it was phenomenal.”

Not only was the chaplain touched by WWE’s support, he explained why the experience brought a sense of completion and happiness to Willen and his caregivers.

“As a chaplain, it’s fantastic for me to help John to tell his story, to make meaning out of his life and to make meaning out of his experiences, both in health and in sickness,” he said.

“I’ve seen John at his most pain. I’ve seen John in his most hurting. I’ve seen John at his most scared and confused. Now I can truthfully say I’ve seen John at his best. I’ve seen John at his brightest. I’ve seen John at his most complete. That was because of Vince. That was because of WWE.”

For more on Crossroads Hospice visit crossroadshospice.com.