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Ileana Bodea

by Mihaela Teianu from Al. Papiu larian Highschool Dej

My Heroine
Ileana Bodea (www.gandul.info)
Ileana Bodea (www.gandul.info)

I believe that each of us has a hero, a person that we admire and who we want to be alike. I have always believed that heroes are those people with supernatural powers that I saw in cartoons and movies, but I was wrong. True heroes can be ordinary people who try to take their destiny in their own hands under any circumstances.

I want to write about a woman named Ileana Bodea, who saved the lives of 30 people. She worked as an engineer in the mine, together with the other miners and for ten years used to get underground at a depth of 600 meters in the "E.M Livezeni" Mine, one of the most dangerous mines in Romania.

On December 18th, 2003, at noon, the town of Petrosani was shaken as if there had been an earthquake there. A device inside the mine blew up and caused a big fire. Firemen and rescue crews were immediately sent there and they tried to extinguish the fire, but they did not realize the danger because the concentration of gas was continually growing. The chief of the rescue team, Costica Napa, wanted to continue the operation, but Mrs. Bodea screamed in intercom: "If you do not pull out the people fast, I'll kill you with my hands!" Everyone came out quickly and after a few seconds there was a very big explosion in the mine. She was right: the explosion took place. In my opinion this woman acted like a real hero, saving many lives.

She acted in a stressful situation being aware that they might not be right, and people could suffer, but she believed in her instinct. Not just for me, but for the people who live in Livezeni she is a real heroine, and she was given nicknames like "the Guardian Angel" and "the Iron Lady".

Page created on 6/14/2013 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 6/14/2013 12:00:00 AM

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