David is a hero and an inspiration to us.

We welcomed him into our family last year through foster care and he quickly became fond of our four ducks, including our only female, Limpy.

One cold winter day we received a lot of rain and the nearby creek was about two feet deep and running very fast. When the ducks went out to walk around under David’s supervision, Limpy decided to go into the rapids, which quickly swept her tumbling downstream.

David immediately went into action.

He ran alongside her, jumped into the creek and retrieved her before she went into the Mahoning Creek—which would have meant certain death to the duck.

He then yelled for me to come out of the house. I ran out to see him with the duck in his hands—and ice on his snow-pants and gloves. As he told me what happened, I could tell that Limpy was hypothermic and dying. We took her to the basement, where it was warm, and wrapped her in a towel. I thought she was a goner.

David stayed by her side that night.

The next morning, Limpy stood and quacked a little. We gave her food and water but she still wouldn’t eat. David suggested that she might be missing the other ducks, so we brought them all in—and it worked! She seemed happy and ate well. Within a week, she was much better and we let them all back outside again.

Since then, Limpy allows David to hold her and carry her around. You can see the love in her eyes for him.

When David first came here, he wanted to be a farmer. Now, he wants to be a vet so he can take care of animals.

We are very proud of his bravery and kind heart and are so glad he is part of our family!

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