Marston Moretaine – Shortly before his 100th birthday, the British war veteran Tom Moore won a very special fight: The Brit, who was operated on his hip, managed 100 arduous laps with his rollator in the garden at home – and collected until Thursday afternoon well over £ 13 million in donations.
Captain Tom, as he is called, wants to use the money to support healthcare. ”I’m fine. I hope you are all well, too, “said the senior on Thursday in the English village of Marston Moretaine after the last round of his day-long campaign. Moore, who will soon turn 100, wanted to thank the “wonderful” employees of the National Health Service (NHS) with his unusual initiative.
They would have helped him treat his skin cancer and a broken hip, and the response was overwhelming: hundreds of thousands of people around the world were so excited about his initiative that they reached deep into their pockets and made generous donations. Doctors, nurses, athletes, and politicians congratulated the British. Health minister Matt Hancock said that the senior was inspiring, and the veteran, who has already worked in Burma (Myanmar) and India, also convinced in interviews with his well-chosen words.
The hymns of praise overturned on social media: Captain Tom was one of his favorite people and was “a friendly, humble, gentle, heroic man”, said a fan on Facebook Have collected 100 laps with the rollator until his 100th birthday on April 30th. Now it has become a multiple in a much shorter time. For many Britons, he is simply a hero, especially in the times of the pandemic.
During his last rounds, soldiers stood by his side – at a safe distance due to the corona pathogen. That the senior is so committed to the chronically underfunded NHS must be balm for the hard work of the employees there. They have a particularly difficult time fighting the pandemic: among other things, British hospitals lack respiratory equipment, protective equipment, and hospital staff.
In case of need, some carers put garbage bags on to protect themselves from the pathogen. For those who were very worried during the pandemic, Moore also had consoling words ready: “The sun will shine on you again and the clouds will move away”, said the 99-year-old.
There is already a petition that Captain Tom should now be knighted. He doesn’t expect anything like that, said the senior modestly – although: “Sir Thomas Moore actually sounds quite good.”
