One of the best stories of the summer Olympics in Rio came shortly after the games ended. Polish discus thrower and Olympic Silver medalist Piotr Malachowski sold his silver medal to help pay for the cancer treatment of a 3-year-old boy, Olek Szymanski.
Malachowski announced that he would be auctioning off his medal in a post on his Facebook page, stating that “fate gave me the chance to increase the value of my ‘silver.’ I appeal to everyone – let’s fight together for something that is even more valuable. The health of this fantastic boy.” The boy, Olek, is suffering from retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer, and the treatment he needed requires he go to New York City. According to ESPN.com, the Polish athlete was attempting to raise $84,000 for the cancer treatment.
It only took 5 days. On August 23rd, Malachowski took to Facebook to announce that, “[w]e made it. Dominic and Sebastian Kulczyk just declared their willingness to buy my silver medal.” The Kulcyzk’s, billionaire siblings, are among the richest people in Poland.
A true Olympian – Piotr Malachowski reminded us what the spirit of the Olympic games is all about.