Lady Auctions Silver Medal She Won at Olympics so She Can Pay for Baby’s Hospital Bill

• Andrejczyk says the value of a medal lies in the heart, and it's better for her silver to 'save lives than gather dust in a closet'
• She is a bone cancer survivor after making a remarkable recovery after her initial diagnosis in 2018
• At the Rio Olympics in 2016, the Polish javelin thrower emerged fourth and did not walk away with any medal

Silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics Maria Andrejczyk earned plaudits from fans on social media after she decided to put auction her medal to help fund a child’s surgery.

The 25-year old took to her Facebook page to announce her decision to help a boy identified as Miloszek.

She said:

“Miloszek has a serious heart defect. He needs an operation. He 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.”

The infant in question suffers from a rare combination of heart and venous problems, a condition that restricts the pulmonary veins from functioning properly.

Andrejczyk is herself a cancer survivor, having initially been diagnosed in 2018.

It was a harrowing time for her as she was also battling a recurring shoulder injury which played a role in her fourth-place finish in Rio 2016.

According to The Mirror, Miloszek's donation page is seeking to raise 1.5million Polish zloty, which translates to N79,546,430.32.

Andrejczyk is hoping the auction of her medal would help half that amount.

On Monday, August 16, the javelin star announced Polish convenience store Zabka won the auction, and their donation of £140,000 (N79,546,430.32) and other contributions surpassed what she initially hoped for.

As of Tuesday morning, August 17, donations had reached the 90% mark.

“An easy decision”

Andrejczyk had announced immediately after the games that she planned to sell the medal and the proceeds would then go towards a good cause.

"This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet. That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children,” she said as per the Times.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that a sportsman, Hansle Parchment, who represented Jamaica at the just concluded Tokyo 2020 Olympics has shown great appreciation to the lady who helped him.

While going to the venue for his race in the final, the athlete got on the wrong bus. Before he could realise what was happening, he had already gone far.

When he was told he would have to go back and take the right transport, Hansle knew he may never get to the venue for his race on time.

Source: Legit.ng