On Thurs., May 16, the Alaska Humanities Forum will host Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney, co-authors of the new book Beyond the Bear, which tells the incredible story of how Bigley "learned to live and love again" after being blinded by a brown bear that mauled him while he was fishing at the Russian River in July 2003.
The authors will read short excerpts from Beyond the Bear, then take questions and sign copies of their book.
The event begins at 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Light fare and libations will be served.
The Alaska Humanities Forum is located at 161 East 1st Avenue, Door 15, in the historic Alaska Railroad freight building on Ship Creek.
Here's a summary of Beyond the Bear provided by Dan Bigley:
On July 14, 2003, I was wrapping up a stellar day of salmon fishing at Alaska’s Russian River when, moments from the safety of the car, a grizzly came tearing around a corner in the trail so fast it had to dip its shoulder to make the turn. I barely had time for “bear charging” to register before the bear had me on the ground. Dragged facedown over rocks and roots, fingers locked around the back of my neck, elbows tucked in tight, I tried to play dead. Just when I thought the bear was done, it flipped me over and bit across my face. The person I’d been the first 25 years of my life died that instant.
“Upper nose, eyes, forehead anatomy unrecognizable,” is how the medevac report put it. Weeks later, in an intensive care unit, I emerged from a drug-induced coma and into an alien body and an even more alien world. I have vague memories of being told I was blind. After fighting for my life so hard, I didn’t have the energy for a big emotional reaction. That would come later, and it would come in many different forms. Among all I lost was my new girlfriend. I’d been interested in her for about a year, and we’d finally connected — the night before I was mauled.
Blind and disfigured, with a long, painful journey of healing ahead of me, I was in no shape to be in a relationship. We came to the only logical conclusion we could come to, to set each other free. But could we? “Beyond the Bear” is many stories, a survival story among them. But in the aftermath of my mauling, dealing with the physical and emotion devastation, came the realization that letting myself become a bitter man had far more potential to ruin my life than being blinded by a bear.
