Following her silver medal win in the women’s javelin at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Maria Andrejczyk chose to auction it off. The funds were to support life-saving heart surgery for Milosz, an 8-month-old Polish boy with a severe congenital heart defect. The surgery, costing approximately $385,000, was scheduled in the United States. While much of the money had been raised, Maria’s auction helped complete the funding.
Her medal sold for roughly $125,000, with the Polish convenience store chain Żabka as the winning bidder. In a touching turn of events, Żabka returned the medal to Maria, acknowledging her remarkable generosity. This story became a global symbol of kindness and human empathy that extended beyond the realm of sports.