Olympic Athlete Auctions Off Medal To Pay For 3-Year-Old Boy's Cancer Surgery
September 2, 2016
Polish track-and-field star Piotr Malachowski won 11 medals in Rio. But after taking second place in the men's discus competition, Malachowski accomplished something even more special.
"I did everything everything in my power to get (gold)," wrote Malachowski in a Facebook post. "Unfortunately this time it didn't work. But fate gave me a chance to increase the value of my silver."
He explained that after the competition, he had been contacted by the mother of a 3-year-old boy named Olek Syzmanski. Olek suffers from retinoblastoma, an aggressive eye cancer most commonly found in children. He needs a $126,000 surgery to effectively treat the disease.
Malachowski announced that he would auction off his silver medal to raise money for the cause, posting a link to an online fundraiser.
According to ESPN, a third of the surgery's cost had already been raised by Polish foundation SiePomaga. After Malachowski's fundraising efforts, Dominic and Sebastian Kulczyk, a wealthy Polish brother-and-sister duo, generously offered to pay the remaining balance.
"My darlings, we made it," wrote Malachowski. "We were able to show that together we can make miracles."
"My silver medal today is worth much more than a week ago. This is our big joint success."
(h/t) Today
Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz
A Husky Was Lost. Owners Found Him With A Drone - Hanging Out With Bears
Dog Completely Changes From Black To White
Cat's Face Shows Opposite Of Gratitude After Being Rescued
A First Birthday Reunion Party For The Whole Litter, Mama Pup Included
This Senior Dog Sanctuary Celebrated 12 Years With A Dog Prom
Local Police Department Makes Public Statement To Community On Taylor Swift's New Album
Man And Dog Left Stunned After Cat FLIES Across The Room
The Cat Chooses You: A Boy's Heartwarming Shelter Adoption Story
'Thing Kept Attacking Me': Squirrel Defends Man's Home From Burglar
Dog's Hilarious Windshield Wiper Chase Captured By Motorist
Owner Purrfectly Captures Cat's Two Opposite Personalities In Viral Video