Olympian who beat bone cancer sells medal to save toddler
<p>Olympic medallist Maria Andrejczyk has decided to auction off her silver medal for a very worthwhile cause. </p>
<p>The Polish athlete, who won the silver medal for her outstanding performance in javelin, is auctioning off the medal to help fun a toddler's life-saving heart surgery.</p>
<p>After beating bone cancer herself, the Olympian wants to help the young boy and his family pay for the operation, which comes with a hefty cost of $246,000.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old athlete took to her Facebook page to call for her fans to help her. </p>
<p>She said, “Miloszek has a serious heart defect. He needs an operation."</p>
<p>“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."</p>
<p>“And in this way, I also want to help. It’s for him that I am auctioning my Olympic silver medal.”</p>
<p>Maria missed out on an Olympic medal at Rio in 2016, before having to sit out the following year for a shoulder injury, which later led to her cancer diagnosis in 2018. </p>
<p>After making it to the podium in Japan, she explained why she will be using her medal to help those in need. </p>
<p>On a Polish television show, she said, “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."</p>
<p>“This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet. That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children.”</p>
<p>Maria's personal best of 71.4 metres is the third longest ever thrown by a woman in javelin, but her kind action will go much further. </p>
<p><em>Image credit: Getty Images</em></p>
