"I had no airway unless I kept my head tilted to the side just right," Perkins told Newsweek. "I started spooning liquid in back of my throat as it would get so dry. Wes Perkins is whole in body and still badly disfigured. I did not know the bear was 69 feet away in a snow cave. His will to survive and keep going, stay positive.". He said they saw a bear in the distance up on the hill. "My (bad) eye, if I can keep and it does OK, maybe in 10 years they can fix it. She ripped up, I think my arms broke, but legs are good, internal organs are good, eyes are good. Perkins couldn't speak legibly for several months, relying on writing to communicate. Everything he consumes comes from a blender now, but its better than being underground. That was about the end of September. "If I was unconscious, I would have died. Don't miss a story! He has taken to trying to come up with the ultimate in smoothies. Lots of people from everywhere. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Wes Perkins had his face torn off by an 8ft grizzly bear, Bear attacks on humans are rare but can be particularly savage, Todd Orr was mauled by the same bear twice, Allena Hansen was attacked by a black bear on her California ranch, Alexey Ivanovsky was 'skinned alive' in the attack and died nine days later, Lee Brooke had the entire left side of his body crushed, Sebastian Plur Nilssen had his head chomped by a polar bear, Amber Kornak had her skull fractured when she was attacked by a bear in Montana, Despite their size and weight bears can still run pretty fast, Terrifying moment a grizzly bear charges at a Yellowstone Park ranger who fires projectiles and scares him off, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). . Big bear.. The bear had ripped off most of his jaw and tongue, and caused huge damage to one of his eyes. 'I turned and saw the bear, full charge,' Perkins told Anchorage Daily News in a previous interview. It was a big bite.". Life is good, but it will never be the same after the unfortunate bear attack that nearly cost him his life. The extent of his injuries led doctors to tell him that he may never be able to eat or drink via his mouth again. He said in Nome he wanted to set the record straight on something. In 2011, Perkins had his face ripped off via a grizzly endure in what has been described as one of the vital horrific assaults on file. . Dan Stang had rolled him forward so that his injured face was buried in the snow to keep it numb, and radioed for immediate help. "Then a cane. And probably worst of all, for a man who always loved to talk, he is now hard to understand because he speaks with only half a tongue.". 'I lost my tongue, jaw and all but a few teeth,' Wes Perkins told Newsweek about the grizzly bear attack in 2011. . Wes Perkins, 54, followed the big beast in a snowmobile in a hilly area outside . This grizzly bear attack happened in 2017 and went wildly viral for the photos of Sommer's wounds. He said he called on his radio transmission asking for anyone to help, and Perkins' brother answered. At this point, Dan Stangs son starteed shooting at the grizzly bear, eventually killing it. Nine steps from 69 feet, according to Fish and Game. He still has a tube in his throat. ", The painkillers that he was given began to become addictive, Perkins said, but his family and friends supported his efforts to wean himself off: "I was on morphine, and opiates and methadone in my recovery. "I've had some bad days and tough times the past year, but we get through it. There was no airway unless I kept my head tilted to the side just right, Perkins said. They shot the 8-foot-tall, 13-year-old grizzly bear off of Perkins, which was the first action made that lead to survival of Wes. Perkins brother Nate made the radio call. Farm Equipment For Sale - 0 Listings | TractorHouse.com - Page 0 of 0 At TractorHouse.com. "So telling myself to function and never close my eyes or go unconscious was the main concentration.". I used a cane, as they said I had to. I had no time to do anything.. "Ace chopper pilot Ben Rowe saved his life," Nate said at the time, but Rowe was only one of the many who combined to save then 54-year-old Wes's life. Now she's (a) qualified ass-chewer for insurance companies.". We saw it had been running. The bears are not bad. His horrific wounds included the skin on his scalp, back and buttocks being ripped away while one of his ears was also torn off. I started driving in April.". And finally, staff at both the Providence Alaska Medical Center and Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage helped with continuing treatment. In the video Perkins, who became severely disfigured from the attack, said: 'We were out bear hunting. Mr Perkins had been on a hunting trip with his friend Dan Stang and Stangs son Edward. And probably worst of all, for a man who always loved to talk, he is now hard to understand because he speaks with only half a tongue.". So how did this nightmare of situation come about? "I only had time to say, 'Oh shit!' The long road back, he wrote, finally started "when I woke up in Harborview, and I stood up next to the bed." Russian soldier Alexey Ivanovsky, 36, was reportedly skinned alive by a mother bear protecting her two cubs in October 2019. Here's more from theAnchorage Daily News. "So telling myself to function and never close my eyes or go unconscious was the main concentration.". Perkins stepped from his mobile and looked around to see if he could pick up the bear tracks in the snow once again. Imagine having the worst case of the flu you've ever known, and you'll get the idea. Rowe was in the air only minutes after taking a phone call from Nate. Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He wasn't about to take that for a final answer. Perkins spent the next four months in hospital, undergoing numerous operations to repair the damage done by the bear. Wes Perkins, a 65-year-old former hearth leader, now not most effective lived to inform the story, however needs to assist any person else who has long gone via one thing an identical. Stern Hall Email: perkins@hws.edu Phone (315) 781-3437 Personal Homepage Scholarly Interest Social Psychology Alcohol and Drug Abuse College Student Development Adolescent/Adult Development Research Methodology and Statistics Health and Well-Being Sociology of Religion Teaching Experience Hobart & William Smith Colleges (HWS) Rowe was in the air only minutes after taking a phone call from Nate. But I got (my) gun 1/2 way off my back . I have a good life, lots of people have it far worse than I.". Then there was the crew of the medevac flight that winged him almost 2,000 miles south to Seattle, where the staff at Harborview began the process of putting him back together. "Methadone bad. The other day when we found out we had surgery in Seattle, Terrie (his wife) asked if anyone had an AK Airlines companion fare coupon. Wes is not letting this hold him back. Brooke had gone out elk hunting with friends and having shot one they decided to return the next day to get the body. Although in shock and injured, Orr carried on his trek but within minutes the bear was back and launched another attack. Rowe was in the air only minutes after taking a phone call from Nate. So when I stopped, I thought the bear was ahead of me. He remembers seeing lights during that time, wanting someone to turn down the heat in the room, and hearing the NBA playoffs on the TV on the wall. More than four months after the bear attack, Wes was finally well enough to get around on his own, but his treatment was far from over. The detail and information found inside this story will blow your mind. Neither are they good. James Callery For Mailonline And so I just stayed focused. Skip links. Doctors had to use part of his fibula to create a jaw to replace what the bear ripped off of his face. COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. ", "I turned and saw the bear, full charge," he wrote. To survive, Mr Perkins instinctively removed the mud from his fresh wounds and he was then airlifted to receive medical care. Sort by manufacturer, model, year, price, location, sale date, and more. "I have helped others my whole life, and never imagined that I would be on the receiving end of things, but the brotherhood of Nome, my brothers in the fire service, from Seattle, Anchorage, Nome, came out to support and fundraise for me and helped me through this recovery.". He explained: "I never lost consciousness. As they were regrouping, the Grizzly exploded toward them from behind- Fish and game said the bear covered 69 feet in 9 steps! Mr Perkins also said that while his own journey has not been easy, he continues to see improvements and reach milestones even a decade after the attack. My hand instantly went numb and wrist and fingers were limp and unusable. 'I had no airway unless I kept my head tilted to the side just right,' Perkins said. Being attacked by a grizzly is one of the most traumatic and painful encounters a person can have with an animal. Perkins, from Nome, Alaska, his friend Dan Stang, and Dan Stang's son, Edward Stang, were out in the mountains on a hunting trip. His left eye, which sees only light and dark, weeps constantly. Wes Perkins, a lifelong Nome resident, had been tracking the bear with friends on snow machines Sunday east of the Seward Peninsula city when the big grizzly charged, according to Alaska State . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Serendipitously, the first person to respond was Perkins' brother, who swiftly contacted a rescue helicopter, piloted by Ben Rowe. She said I can't leave hospital until I can climb stairs. "I only had time to say, 'Oh s***!' "I probably saved Wes's life and my son saved my life in the same ordeal," Dan Stang said. We had one in 10 minutes for $250 and 2 people wanting to give us one. Wes wants everyone to be careful, and to remember wild animals are not your friends. Wes Perkins, 65, had his entire jaw ripped off by an eight-foot grizzly bear in Alaska in 2011 (Picture: Dannie Rose) A man who had half his face torn off by a bear has spoken out about how. Paramedic Wes Perkins, from Alaska, is lucky to be alive after going out on a bear hunt with two pals. "Like I said, I have to move on and keep doing what I was doing," he wrote. 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