A man took a dangerous journey through mountains in Romania. He was running away from war in his home country, Ukraine. He tucked an unlikely companion in his coat: his kitten, Peach.
The weather was bitterly cold. The man, Vladislav Duda, needed help. And it came. More than a dozen rescuers worked in a harsh blizzard. They found Mr. Duda soaked and freezing in a deep gorge.
“The cat was warm and was warming him . . . so he saved his life,” says Dan Benga. Mr. Benga is the director of the Maramures mountain rescue service.
The rescue team unzipped Mr. Duda’s jacket and discovered Peach snuggled up inside. Mr. Benga asked Mr. Duda if he was okay. Mr. Duda replied, “I’m happy because my cat is alive. I got a chance from God for a new life. The happiest moment is because the cat is here with me.”
The auburn-colored kitten is a tomcat. His name is “Peach” in Ukrainian. He needed food badly. Mr. Duda had run out of supplies four days earlier. Melted snow helped keep both of them alive.
“It’s like a dream. After all I have been through, I only hoped to be found and to survive,” says Mr. Duda, who worked as a journalist in Ukraine. He ran away because he didn’t want to be drafted into the army. “Peach kept my heart warm, and he kept my faith alive.”
At first, rescuers tried to pick up Mr. Duda in a helicopter. But the blizzard made it impossible to see while flying. So a ground team moved through the snow in 14-degree weather.
It took more than five hours for rescuers to pull Mr. Duda out of the ravine. The whole time, he wouldn’t let go of his kitten.
Many others have tried to run away from Ukraine like Mr. Duda did. More than 160 men have needed rescue in the Maramures region. But kittens? Peach is the first.
Mr. Duda is now receiving medical treatment. Peach got veterinary care and should be just fine.
Pray for the people of Ukraine who suffer from war in their country. Thank Him for rescuers like the ones who saved Mr. Duda and Peach. Thank Him also for giving many the courage to defend their homelands from outside threats, and ask Him to protect them.
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? — Psalm 139:7
