Fires are the worst. They especially are even more terrible than usual when they happen in the heart of winter. I received a call once that my apartment was on fire, and the only thing I thought about was, “I hope my dog is alright!” This story has a similar situation.
Ali Meşe, an 83-year-old man in Turkey had a fire start in his house and it eventually consumed the entire wooden house. Meşe was attempting to light his gas stove but it didn’t go as planned. After a small explosion happened in the living room, the fire quickly spread all over.
Meşe lives in a small town in Western Turkey so neighbors must have heard the explosion. They called the fire department, but after they got there it was too late for the house. They were able to save the important things though, Meşe, his wife and son and Meşe’s tiny four legged friend.
In one of the most powerful photos of 2018, Meşe is pictured holding on tight to his cat. Really, both are holding on tight and neither wanted to let go. With his cane in one hand, and the cat in his other, all Meşe cares about in this moment is that his loved ones are safe.
Meşe had to go to the hospital just to make sure everything was fine, and he wasn’t seriously hurt. While he recovered, this above photo and the story overall went viral. Well as viral as something can go in Turkey. The Turkish Red Crescent, aka a branch of the International Red Cross heard about the story and came to Meşe’s side (as well as the cat’s side).
They came to Meşe’s hospital bed with gifts but they were mostly for the cat (at this point I really wish we knew what the cat’s name was). They gave him a carrying case to make sure the two stay safe and warm.
Dr Kerem Kınık who is the President of the Red Crescent also tweeted a message of support. It didn’t translate well at all, but his general message was, “So grateful these two survived, let’s keep them warm!”
Someone brought the cat to the hospital and the two were reunited once again. You just gotta love seeing the bond between a man and his cat!
The story just keeps on getting better, because someone else saw the story and got inspired.
It first stated:
This morning I saw on social media a heart breaking picture of an older gentlemen in Turkey clinging to his kitten among a background of rubble. Upon further investigation, I found out this poor man, Ali, accidentally started a fire in his home. Please read the whole story via the link below. My heart immediately broke. I would like to raise funds for him and his wife send it to them. I have not been able to find any fundraisers or way to donate so I started my own. Please donate what you can but more importantly, please share. I do not know this man but the video I saw of him sobbing nearly broke my heart.
The GoFundMe has since closed at $7,090 but what an amazing act of humans helping humans!