A Polish Olympian Maria sold her Tokyo silver medal to raise money for a child who need a $250,000 heart operation.
After missing out on a medal by 2cm in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Maria Andrejczyk, 25, battled bone cancer to restart her javelin career.
It resulted in an emotional scene on the platform in Japan, after which she solicited help from her social media followers for a cause.
According to The Times, she told Polish television that “the genuine value of a medal always remains in the heart.”
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Andrejczyk disclosed that she had auctioned off her medal for Mioszek Maysa, an eight-month-old boy with a significant heart condition.
“He already has a head start from Kubus,” she said in Polish on her page, “a boy who didn’t make it in time but whose loving parents opted to pass on the cash they raised.”
“In this way, I’d like to contribute as well. My Olympic silver medal is being auctioned for him.”
Andrejczyk received yet another medal as a result. The auction was won by abka, a Polish chain store, and she was told she could retain the medal.
“We were moved by our Olympian’s amazing and really honorable deed,” a spokeswoman stated.
Source: Reuters
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