Just days after the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Polish javelin thrower Maria Magdalena Andrejczyk sold her medal and put the proceeds toward an operation for 8-month-old Miloszek Malysa, whose heart defect caused his blood pressure to skyrocket and damage the arteries in his lungs and heart. An operation to correct the defect was available in the United States, but the family could not afford the $190,000 it would cost. Andrejczyk, who is from a small village near the Lithuanian border called Kukle, just missed winning a medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Then, 2 years later, she was diagnosed with bone cancer. Despite needing surgery, she didn't require chemotherapy and managed to resume training for the Tokyo Games in 2019, where she courageously secured the silver medal she later auctioned off. While the Polish convenience store business Zabka was the highest bidder, they decided to donate the money and also return the silver medal to Andrejczyk. A Polish GoFundMe page was also set up and a total of $450,000 was raised to fund the baby’s surgery.
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| Miloszek Malysa immediately after surgery and later recovering |
