An Olympian's Kind Gesture
- Track and field Olympian Maria Andrejczyk, 25, auctioned off her first Olympic medal to help a young child have life-saving heart surgery.
- This cause is certainly close to Andrejczyk’s heart, as she is a cancer survivor. In October 2018, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer). She went through a successful surgery, and was declared in remission.
- A support system can really help someone who is going through tough times. Support can come in numerous forms, but in the end all that matters is that the person knows that you’re there to help keep them fighting.
Just a few days after winning the silver medal in track and field at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, Andrejczyk created a fundraiser to help Miloszek Małysa, a 8-month-old little boy from Poland, who needs to fly to the United States to go through an immediate heart surgery for a birth defect he was born with. She announced through Facebook that she would be auctioning her silver medal to help the cause, and her goal was to raise at least $190,000. The announcement drew huge bids from around the world, but in the end Polish convenience store chain Zabka won the auction.
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This cause is certainly close to Andrejczyk’s heart, as she is a cancer survivor. In October 2018, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer). A few weeks after the diagnosis, she went through a successful surgery and immediately started training again for the next Olympic season. Clearly her hard work paid off.
The Power of Support
As a cancer survivor, Andrejczyk certainly knows how powerful support can be during difficult times. A support system can help someone tremendously by bringing a smile to their face, keeping them distracted or simply just being a shoulder to cry on. Support can come in numerous forms, but in the end all that matters is that the person knows that you’re there to help keep them fighting.
This was the case for Tracy White, a two-time cervical cancer survivor, who watched her friends step up to the plate after her cancer returned. Even the loved ones who lived far away would visit as much as they could. According to White, she wouldn't have been able to stay positive if it weren't for them. While helping White her friends would pick up some slack by caring for her son, cooking meals, and driving her to appointments. Support can come in many different forms, and even the smallest gesture can make a difference.
Related: "I'll Hand You to Pam"How One Breast Cancer Survivor Became a Support System for So Many
"Without my support system, I definitely don't think I would have healed as well," White told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "I had so many friends that stepped up. Two, in particular. One is a nurse, she lives in Ohio, and she came out so many times. Another best friend, who's locally here in New Jersey, and she would also come and take care of me…I couldn't have done it without all of them."
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