Boy, 9, Raises $$ Toward Own Heart Surgery

(CBS) Nine-year-old Malkolm Poyer was born with a rare heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, also known by its frightening nickname: Sudden Death Syndrome. "The doctor said he could die anytime," his mother, Jennifer Poyer, told CBS News. "It's a thickening of the muscle in the heart. It's the septum, which is the middle of the heart. And it doesn't leave enough room for the blood to get through." Then, early last month, doctors told his parents that the Hahira, Ga., boy would have to undergo open heart surgery to install a defibrillator, reports CBS News correspondent Rebecca Jarvis. But instead of being scared about the risky surgery, the third-grader's thoughts were on the family's finances - and the after-insurance costs of performing the operation in Atlanta, more than 300 miles away. So, Malkolm came up with an idea to raise the money himself. Having watched his mom run an online business, he persuaded her to put an award-winning short story he'd written in a class for gifted kids up for sale on eBay. They would sell signed, limited edition copies of his manuscript for $10 apiece. Malkolm wound up raising more than $12,000, well beyond the $3,000 the family needed to cover its out-of-pocket costs for the operation.

Source

[edit on 13-5-2010 by Raustin]

Another feel good story for the night. What an inspiring young man. Nice to know some strangers helped his cause as well.