New Delhi: Doctors and health workers in the United Kingdom are facing a shortage of face masks, gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) to fight against coronavirus, several people are coming forward to help them. Among these real heroes, who are extending help to COVID-19 warriors, there is a former British Army Captain Tom Moore.
Today, he is celebrating his hundredth birthday defying the deadly virus with his mental strength and passion for life. He managed to raise a fund of Rs 290 crores for the UK's National Health Service (NHS) through a Charity Walk.
Tom Moore had promised that if he could collect a fund of Rs 94,000 then he would walk 100 steps in his garden. Looking at his passion, people donated for his cause. It was a challenge for a 100-year-old to walk 100 steps and that too when he recently underwent a hip replacement surgery, besides facing skin cancer.
Although he takes the help of Walking Frame to stand up, he walked 100 steps to prove that physical difficulties can never become an obstacle to achieve a goal.
Today, Captain Tom Moore was awarded the honorary title of "Colonel" on his 100th birthday. He also received more than 1.25 lakh Greeting Cards, besides getting congratulations from the Queen and British Prime Minister on his birthday.
You are a true champion, @captaintommoore!
Happy 100th Birthday from F1! pic.twitter.com/XUj2J9zbvt
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 30, 2020
To extend honour to Tom Moore, vintage aircraft of the Royal Air Force also flew over his house and showed aerial tricks.
On his 100th birthday, Tom Moore is facing the third biggest challenge of his life. When he was born in the year 1920, the world was passing through Spanish Flu, after that, he took part in the Second World War from 1939 to 1945. Now, he is helping Corona fighters against the deadly epidemic, which has so far claimed 26,000 lives in the UK.
Thank you @TesniJonesmusic and all the @NHSuk heroes who contributed to this special birthday message#100thbirthday#TomorrowWillBeAGoodDay https://t.co/mrFz3mko85
— Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) April 30, 2020
Tom Moore has virtually emerged as the new hope of the six and a half million British people. He also holds two Guinness World Records. One for creating a world record of collecting maximum fund through Charity Walk, and the other, by recording a song with a British singer Michael Ball and it has currently become the UK's number one song.
In the United States too, the spirit of coronavirus fighters was marked by American Air Force. The Blue Angels of US Navy and The Thunder Birds of Air Force flew together on April 28 to honor its health workers. New York and New Jersey have become the epicenters of the COVID-19 panedemic in America, claiming over 23,000 lives.
