Israeli Judo Olympic bronze medalist Yarden Gerbi will auction off the name badge she wore during the Rio games to raise money for kids with cancer.
The Children’s Oncology Department at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital will receive the proceeds from Gerbi’s eBay auction going on now through Aug. 29.
“Yarden proves that she is not just a champion on the field, she’s also a whole-hearted player with a true soul,” said the medical center director Professor Roni Gamzu, as reported in Arutz Sheva. “The whole hospital, and the children of the ward, thank her profusely for thinking of us, and for the support and encouragement she is giving to sick children.”
In the first three hours of online bidding, the highest amount offered for the name tag exceeded $10,000.
Gerbi wrote on her Facebook page that she had visited the children’s oncology ward at Ichilov.
“I met amazing kids who are heroes, doing their best to fight and keep high spirits,” Gerbi wrote. “I recently found out that Liran Or, a sweet and loving girl whom I was in contact with, had passed away. That’s the reason I decided to donate to the same ward.”
Originally posted at Jewish News Service. AFP PHOTO: Toshifumi KITAMURA
