The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
Today’s Something Good is a sacrifice made and a sacrifice rewarded.
Maria Andrejczyk, Polish javelin thrower, won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She missed a medal by two centimeters at Rio but made the medal stand this year, according to CNN. With her first Olympic medal in hand, she decided to see what good she could do. When she came across a fundraiser for 8 month-old Miłoszek Małysa, she knew she’d found her cause.
Miloszek has a heart defect and his parents were told there is no further hope for treatment in Poland.
But Monica, Miloszek’s mother, found the possibility of treatment in Stanford, California. But $383,000 (1.5 million zloty) needed to be found to pay for the urgent surgery. Half had been raised but Monica was asking for help with the remaining funds.
Enter Maria. She announced on Facebook that she would auction off her silver medal for Miloszek and started the bidding at $51,000.
Żabka, a Polish supermarket chain, won the prize after bidding $125,000. Maria was very appreciative, saying, “It’s with the greatest pleasure that I give to you, Żabka, my medal which for me is a symbol of struggle, faith and the pursuit of dreams despite the many challenges. I hope for you it will be a symbol of the life of which we fought for together.”
As a reward for her good deed, Zabka announced the medal would remain with Maria. On Facebook, they wrote, “We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian. Therefore, we decided to support the collection of funds for the sick Miloszek. We also decided that the silver medal from Tokyo will remain with Ms. Maria, who showed how great she is.”
The money raised will ensure Miloszek will have the surgery he needs at Stanford University Medical Center.
A selfless act to help a child in desperate need of surgery is something good. A company helping the child and leaving the silver medal in the hands of the Olympian who won it, is also a good thing.
Now it’s your turn… Tell me something good!
