Polish javelin thrower, Maria Andrejczyk, is not only a gifted olympian but a pretty incredible person all around. The 25-year-old olympian has auctioned off her very own silver medal to pay for the heart surgery of a sick eight-month-old baby boy.
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A medal that could save a life
The baby in question, Pole Miloszek, is in dire need of an operation to cure his Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC)—a major disfunction of the pulmonary veins.
Andrejczyk explains that instead of letting her silver medal collect dust while on display in her home, she has decided to contribute to the funds needed to pay for the baby's heart surgery. In a statement, she said:
[Pole] already has a head start from Kubus - a boy who didn't make it in time but whose amazing parents decided to pass on the funds they collected. And in this way, I also want to help. It's for him that I am auctioning my Olympic silver medal.
Before adding:
The true value of a medal always remains in the heart. A medal is only an object but it can be of great value to others. This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet. That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children.
All's well that ends well
But as it turns out, a polish supermarket, Zabka, who heard of the truly altruistic action by Maria decided to step in and donate a massive sum of money to cover the remaining cost of the surgery. And if that wasn't enough of a happy ending, the supermarket asked the Olympian to keep her much-deserved silver medal. A spokesperson for the company said:
We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian.
