Beyond the Bear: How I Learned to Live and Love Again after Being Blinded by a Bear

by Dan Bigley, Debra McKinney

Overview

A 25-year-old backcountry wanderer, Dan Bigley woke up one midsummer morning to a day full of promise. Before it was over, after a stellar day of salmon fishing along Alaska’s Kenai and Russian rivers, a grizzly came tearing around a corner on the trail. Dan barely had time to register this before the bear had him on the ground with his head in its powerful mouth. All of his happiness was shattered by a mauling that left him blind and disfigured. Facing paralyzing pain and inconceivable loss, Dan was in no shape to be in a relationship with the woman he had just decided he loved, and so he let her go. Five surgeries later, partway into his long healing journey, they found their way back to each other. The couple’s unforgettable story is one of courage, tenacious will, and the power of love to lead the way out of darkness. Dan Bigley’s triumph over tragedy is a testament to the ability of the human spirit to overcome physical and emotional devastation, and to choose not just to live, but to live fully.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493016426
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	01/07/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	667,376
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dan Bigley, who earned a master's degree in social work after losing his sight, is now the director of therapeutic foster care services at Denali Family Services in Anchorage and was awarded a 2008 Alaskan of the Year Award by the Governor’s Committee on Employment and Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska.   Debra McKinney is a freelance writer who was part of a team that won journalism’s highest honor, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, for the Anchorage Daily News. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Table of Contents

Prologue: "It's Terrible, Just Horrible" iv

1 Until That Day 1

2 River of Bears 15

3 Last Light 24

4 This Can't Be Happening 36

5 Hanging on in the Dark 41

6 Little Red Eliding Hood's Hood 53

7 Circling the Wagons 60

8 Armchair Quarterbacks 71

9 The Vigil 77

10 Opiate Dreams 84

11 Tribe of Two 91

12 Flailing Through the Fog 99

13 Binoculars Are a Terrible Thing to Waste 108

14 Diving with Captain Nemo 113

15 Arboleda Sessions 121

16 Victory Lap 132

17 Life Plan, Take II 138

18 Blackbeard and the Blmdies 147

19 Back to the Future 155

20 Ungulate Landmines and Statistics Sinkholes 171

21 Blind Date with a Dog 179

22 Family Man in the Dark 191

23 Whale Watching Blind 202

Acknowledgments 210

About the Authors 214

Editorial Reviews

[A] richly detailed, emotional memoir. .. his story inspires and sticks with you long beyond the final page.. . .A well-written and touching tribute to human resilience.

Booklist

"This book is surprising in so many ways - heartfelt, funny, buoyant, tragic and triumphant - that after awhile I wanted to do nothing else but read it and be inspired and enthralled. And so I was."—Kim Heacox, author of The Only Kayak and Visions of a Wild America "Combine a man shaped by an extraordinary experience with a writer adept at weaving the threads of his story and the result is a stunningly powerful book. Beyond the Bear may compel you to worry less about all the bad things that could happen in life and focus instead on embracing its possibilities. You might as well buy extra copies for you will soon want to give others the gift of this insightful and riveting read." —Jill Fredston, author of Rowing to Latitude and Snowstruck "Beyond the Bear delivers in gut-wrenching detail the harrowing account of one of the most horrific bear attacks in recent Alaskan memory, but the book is so much more than a bear mauling. Beyond the Bear is a powerful love story and an unforgettable tale of hope and resilience, a triumph of the human spirit in the darkest of hours. A life destroyed in a blinding flash of blood and fur. A bright and beautiful Alaskan landscape seemingly darkened forever, the midnight sun all but extinguished, yet Dan Bigley's courage and heart take us all beyond the bear and along the way we all learn to see the world in a new and beautiful light." —Don Rearden, award-winning author of The Raven's Gift "Beyond the Bear is far more than another 'bear chew' book; it's a compelling, finely crafted tale of survival and redemption, a worthy addition to Alaska literature."—Nick Jans, author of The Grizzly Maze and A Wolf Called Romeo

From the Publisher

[A] richly detailed, emotional memoir . . . his story inspires and sticks with you long beyond the final page. . . .A well-written and touching tribute to human resilience.

Booklist

In 2003, outdoor-loving Bigley nearly lost his life in a savage bear attack in Alaska, the gory details of which are difficult to read. The animal not only bit but actually chewed on Bigley’s head. The horrific injuries, which claimed his eyesight, required multiple surgeries to repair. This moving memoir of his experiences, coauthored with journalist McKinney, is more about Bigley’s emotional recovery and beyond-impressive triumph over adversity. Although his very survival was in doubt after the mauling, Bigley manages to weather the painful aftermath and the blow of learning that his sight is gone forever, thriving in the end. He completed a master’s program in social work with straight-A grades, and now works as a director of therapeutic foster care, overseeing 60 homes. The woman who was his girlfriend at the time of the attack is now his wife, and mother of their two children. Readers will appreciate Bigley’s inspirational and well-written story. Agent: Elizabeth Evans, the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly