A Penticton woman’s tale of incredible faith will be recounted in a televised interview set for early October.
A family friend has confirmed that Rita Chretien has conducted an exclusive interview for Context with Lorna Dueck, a half-hour television program to be aired on both Vision and Global TV networks.
“The program is about world news from a Christian perspective,” the friend said. “She (Chretien) wanted her story to not focus attention on herself, but on the goodness of God and why she got through it that way.”
Chretien and her husband, Albert, were on their way to Las Vegas in mid-March when they were reported missing. A massive search was conducted for the couple, who were travelling in a Chevy Astro van, which was spotted seven weeks later by hunters outside Elko County, Nev.
The Penticton couple’s van had become stuck along a Nevada forestry road, and Albert went out on March 22 to get help and has not been seen since. Rita subsisted for seven weeks on snacks, candy and melted snow before being located. She was taken to hospital in Twin Falls, Idaho, in fair condition before being transferred to Penticton Regional Hospital. She has since been released.
The family friend said Chretien is still quite “fragile” and didn’t want to be subjected to a barrage of phone calls from various media outlets, but agreed to speak with Dueck — one journalist she said Rita had “long admired.”
Dueck and her crew arrived in Penticton last week to conduct the interview.
“Lorna’s a really gentle, sweet soul. Lorna investigates in a kind, gentle way,” she said.
The interview will be broadcast on Oct. 9.