Although the circumstances we now find ourselves in is affecting everyone in different ways, it’s clear that the healthcare systems in the world’s most affected nations are under almost unprecedented strain.
The National Health Service in the U.K. is no exception, but the past week has given them an unlikely savior: 99-year-old World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore.
His 100th birthday is coming up and to celebrate it, he had the idea of walking 100 laps around his yard to raise some money for the NHS.
However, not even he would have been able to imagine how much “some money” would turn out to be.
In recent years, Captain Moore has had some special reasons to keep the NHS close to his heart.
As the BBC reported , he credited the organization’s “magnificent” staff for treating him for cancer and a broken hip.
So this pre-birthday fundraiser was his way of thanking them and he had hoped to raise at least £1,000 by walking 100 laps around his yard in an 87-foot loop.
What he would discover, however, is that people were willing to give way more than that before he took a single step.
By April 15, 345,000 volunteers would donate £7 million, the equivalent of $8.7 million USD.
Not only that, but the website that hosted his fundraiser nearly crashed when 90,000 people visited it at once.
This emboldened Captain Moore even more and his well-wishers will be pleased to hear that he’s since completed all 100 laps.
He told the BBC that he felt fine when it was done and that the amount raised was “an absolutely fantastic sum of money.”
At the end of his last lap, he said, “I never dreamt I would be involved in such an occasion as this.”
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However, his donators weren’t finished yet and Captain Moore keeping his promise only seemed to encourage them further.
At the time of this writing, the number of donors have climbed to over 700,000 and they’ve doubled yesterday’s big milestone because Moore has now raised over £14 million, or $17.5 million.
This time, the site did experience a brief crash due to the influx of traffic.
And the congratulations for Tom have rolled in from all levels of British society.
As the BBC reported , a spokesperson for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Moore, “captured the heart of the nation with his heroic efforts” and a petition has circulated calling for him to be knighted. At last report, it had almost 2,000 signatures.
To this, Moore said, “It would be marvellous to have such an honour but I don’t expect anything like that.”
This pride in him is also coming closer to home, as his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said, “He’s a beacon of hope in dark times and I think we all need something like this to believe in and it’s for such an amazing cause.”
h/t: BBC