LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Now to a story about a man who's a bit of a celebrity in the world of Legos. Russell Cassevah set a Guinness world record by walking on Legos barefoot for more than two miles.
RUSSELL CASSEVAH: I ended up going to the hospital and had over a hundred microabrasions on both feet. I had no feeling in my feet for weeks. It was insane.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Insane? Well, yeah, probably - but not pointless. That's because Cassevah used the attention to raise money to buy Legos and donate them to hospitals across the country, an idea that he got from an organization in the U.K. called Fairy Bricks. So in 2019, he quit his job to start his own nonprofit called Little Bricks Charity.
CASSEVAH: I cashed out my 401(k), and I have been traveling the nation helping these amazing families.
FADEL: Cassevah documents his efforts on TikTok, which is where Mike Lorenzo found out about him.
MIKE LORENZO: So I reached out to him, and I said, hey, my son has been in and out of Mass General Hospital the past almost three years now.
FADEL: Lorenzo and his wife, Nicole, are from North Attleboro, Mass., and they had a suggestion.
LORENZO: I was wondering if he would come down to Mass. General Hospital for Little Bricks Charity and donate to the kids at the hospital. And he's like, absolutely.
MARTÍNEZ: The Lorenzos, who are known on TikTok for their extreme deal-finding abilities, helped cash about by 5,000 bucks' worth Legos.
LORENZO: When I pulled up to the front of Mass. General Children, I was just floored at the amount of love that their team was just showering upon us.
MARTÍNEZ: Now the Lorenzos are hoping to continue to help Cassevah with his work. Their message - they might not be going through the same difficulties as the kids, but they can help them forget about their worries one brick toy at a time.
(SOUNDBITE OF TINGVALL TRIO'S "CIRKLAR") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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