Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
While this is not Chelsea FC or even Premier League news, it is nice to share some feel good stories amid the talk about transfer rumors and wage disputes. According to reports coming out of the English and Spanish media, Real Madrid’s superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo recently paid for a 10 month old baby’s surgery to help treat a neurological disorder. The boy, Erik Ortiz Cruz, has suffered from a condition that causes him to suffer through up to 30 seizures a day. His family was struggling to deal with the bills of all the treatments and tests that Erick required so they reached out to the community.
The community then reached out to Ronaldo to ask him to donate a game used jersey and pair of boots so they can auction the items off in a charity event. Ever the philanthropist, Ronaldo decided to go above and beyond what was asked of him and pay for the operations Erick needed himself. The total comes out to an estimated £60,000 for the tests and treatments, a sum Ronaldo makes in less than a week but a wonderful gesture nonetheless. Ronaldo is becoming known for his charity work and even celebrated his Balon d’Or with children suffering from leukemia after he told them he would do so on the radio in Spain last year.
Some critics are skeptical of Ronaldo’s gesture and called it a shameless public relations move but those people clearly do not have their priorities in order. Even if it was a calculated move by Ronaldo’s PR camp, the little boy in question is having an expensive operation paid for that his family might not have been able to afford. At the end of the day that is all that really matters.
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