April 30th will be the 100th birthday for Captain Tom Moore. Born in Yorkshire, United Kingdom, he had worked as a civil engineer before WWII broke out.
Answering his call of duty, Moore was selected for officer training in 1940. During the war, he served in India and Burma (current day Myanmar) as an officer.
To thank the efforts of the NHS workers, Moore started an online fundraising campaign through his personal twitter page. He had recently received medical treatments for cancer and a broken hip.
Cpt. Moore pledged that he would do 100 laps around his garden – roughly 25 meters (27.3 yards) per loop. In return, he asked that people donate to NHS Charities Together. He initially set a goal of raising £1,000 or $1,260 dollars.
However, an outpour of charity from around the globe led to him adjusting his goal to £500,000. As of today, he has raised over four times as much, with the overall sum surpassing 2 million pounds.
On the twitter post that he announced he raised over 2 million pounds, the 99-year old veteran said that he had “no words left…just thank you”.
The number of donations skyrocketed as Captain Moore’s stories were broadcasted picked up by the BBC. Many celebrities joined the campaign, and have expressed his gratitude for them via his twitter posts.
For instance, Captain Moore acknowledged the role of TV host Piers Morgan, saying that all these achievements would have been impossible without the help of people like him. As of publication, more than 100,000 individuals have donated to this fundraiser.
By yesterday, Captain Moore has already finished 75 out of his promised 100 laps around his garden. He said that he is doing 10 laps at a time without receiving help from anyone except his frames.
By his birthday, Captain Moore would have covered a distance of approximately 2.5 kilometers (1.55 miles). Although he is taking his time, he says that nothing will stop him from accomplishing his promised objective.
Although the plans for inviting 100 people for his 100th birthday party has been cancelled by the pandemic, Captain Moore has been a ray of hope for all of us around the globe. You can contribute to the cause by checking out this link.
His character and humbleness truly puts a smile on everyone’s face. We salute you Captain Moore! Share with us your thoughts on this story, and be sure to follow us on Facebook for more news like this one.
Replaced!