Olympic Silver Medal Winner Auctions Medal to Pay for Baby's Heart Surgery

Olympian Maria Andrejczyk auctions off medal to help pay for infant's heart surgery.

Maria Andrejczyk, silver medal winner for javelin throwing in the Tokyo Olympics, was able to raise money for Miłoszek Małysa, an 8-month-old with a heart defect.

The baby and the family are from the Olympian’s native country of Poland, and the athlete shared about their story and her auction on Facebook.

Andrejczyk said the parents of a child who "didn't make it in time" passed on donations to Małysa, and Żabka, a Polish convenience store chain, bought the medal for the equivalent of $125,000. 

"It is with the greatest pleasure that I give Żabka this medal, which for me is a symbol of struggle, faith and pursuit of dreams despite many odds," Andrejczyk wrote on Facebook.

"I hope that for you it will be a symbol of the life we fought for together."

According to the Malysa’s fundraiser page, he will be flown to the U.S. for the surgery, though the date is unclear.

Żabka, touched by the athlete’s gesture, Tweeted that they decided to let her keep the medal.

"We were moved by the beautiful and extremely noble gesture of our Olympian, so we decided to support the fundraiser for Miłoszek," they wrote.

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