# @aleteia_en on Instagram - **Type:** Image - **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuxJprlHyP - **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/109124-aleteia-en-instagram - **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/65c94f733f.jpg - **Posted:** 2021-08-18T21:25:10.000+00:00 ## Caption Maria Andrejczyk won the silver medal đŸ„ˆ in the women's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Having survived bone cancer herself, the 25-year-old auctioned off her Olympic medal to fund a crucial heart operation for 8-month-old MiƂoszek MaƂysa. Andrejczyk told Eurosport her medal win “brought her enormous happiness and she wanted to pass that happiness on” to a young child. "The true value of a medal always remains in the heart. A medal is only an object, but it can be of great value to others. This silver can save lives, instead of collecting dust in a closet. That is why I decided to auction it to help sick children,” she said. A Polish convenience store chain won the auction and will fund the young boy's surgery in the U.S. Andrejczyk said she was happy to share her medal, which was "a symbol of faith and perseverance in the face of great obstacles.” In the end, the company let Andrejczyk keep her medal. According to SuperExpress, the Polish Olympian is a faithful Catholic, attributing her career to God. She was open about her special relationship with God, which drives her motivation. She told Onet.Sport that her parents raised her in the Catholic faith, one that is very important to her life. Before leaving for Tokyo, she said she believed everything happens according to God's plan, and that she prays before each competition. And her middle name is Magdalena. Of course, right? đŸ“·: MichaƂ Laudy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons #Olympics #TeamPolska #tokyo #tokyo2020 #tokyoolympics #Catholic #Christian #inspiration #Spirituality #Faith #Prayer #Bible #Religion #Catolico #Poland #polishcatholic #Athletics ## Stats - **Views:** 0 - **Likes:** 638 - **Shares:** 0 - **Comments:** 9 ## Credits | Name | Username | Profile | Role | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Aleteia | @AleteiaEN | https://gondola.cc/AleteiaEN | Social Media Manager | | James Ramos | @plusjames | https://gondola.cc/plusjames | Editor | ## Tags inspiration, poland, catholic, tokyo, teampolska, prayer, religion, catolico, christian, spirituality, tokyo2020, tokyoolympics, athletics, polishcatholic, faith, bible, olympics --- Copyright (c) Gondola