So I stayed alert all the way (to Nome), and I could squeeze the hands of my two partners when they asked me questions.. This hasn't just been a long road just for Wes. Wes Perkins, a 65-year-old former fire chief, not only lived to tell the tale, but wants to help anyone else who has gone through something similar. What I [am] able to do is let them know that it takes stages, Mr Perkins says in the documentary about the family of a survivor who reached out to him. Then think about it dragging on for months. "Her parents mined at Solomon, Iron Creek. ", Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. 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. Joined in Feb. of 1978. Other than that, his recovery is going well, all things considered. . His left eye, which sees only light and dark, weeps constantly. His left eye, which sees only light and dark, weeps constantly. Wes wants everyone to be careful, and to remember wild animals are not your friends. "Then a cane. One bite on my forearm went through to the bone and I heard a crunch. 'There was a bear mauling. He's not the man he once was, but he's still very appreciative to be alive. He said: "I probably saved Wes' life and my son saved my life from the whole ordeal.". "Extraordinary" and "incredible" are the only two words fitting enough to describe the miracle that happened. Wes Perkins said I was on morphine, and opiates and methadone in my recovery. I had no time to do anything. NOME -- Almost a year and a half after the bear attack, after 26 surgeries and more than a $1 million in medical expenses, Wes Perkins is whole in body and still badly disfigured. 'I knew I could hear so I could talk to Ed and Dan who were with me.'. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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). Once being chased by people down an alley. To survive, Mr Perkins instinctively removed the mud from his fresh wounds and he was then airlifted to receive medical care. His facial reconstruction required titantium plates in both cheeks and a titanium jawbone. Life is good, but it will never be the same after the unfortunate bear attack that nearly cost him his life. Related To Alice Perkins, Kelly Perkins, Mary Perkins, Rose Perkins. Wes Perkins was out on a hunting trip in the Alaskan mountains in May 2011 when he came across a huge eight-foot grizzly bear. Wes still hopes to improve his speech. The attack has now become the subject of a short documentary by filmmaker Donnie Rosie, who was in Alaska for another project when he found out about Perkins' story. "It was either lie there and bleed out or get the hell out of there, so I left.". He too survived, most of his injuries were wounds, on the torso, leg, etcetera. FINISHING MOWER Attachments And Components Auction Results. Wes is getting along as best as he can. He spent five days in a medically induced coma in Seattle hospital bed. He does not look bad with his sunglasses on, but the twisted look of his lower face, with his mouth offset to one side, is bound to draw second glances. My dad was once mayor.". This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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.. Despite being excruciatingly disfigured, Perkins never lost contiousness. Now she's (a) qualified ass-chewer for insurance companies.". Over ten years later, Perkins' face has healed, though the scarring remains, and he is able to live a happy life. "Ripped out IV and feed tube by mistake a few times (in those dreams). Although in shock and injured, Orr carried on his trek but within minutes the bear was back and launched another attack. When I turned around, the bear was that close. A man who had his face torn off by a grizzly bear has explained how he managed to survive the attack. The attack happened in 2011 but 65-year-old Wes Perkins still bears the scars of a terrifying encounter with a grizzly beast in the Alaskan mountains. I see people, they say welcome home. They are not good or bad, they are simply wild animals, and that is something to be remembered. wes perkins grizzly video1h20 meaning in finance1h20 meaning in finance Brooke eventually managed to scare the bear off by stabbing it four times with a steak knife he had in his pocket and scream for help. Neither are they good. His rifle was slung across his shoulders for easy travel as he realized he had to act. He is thankful to be alive, thankful for a strong and supportive family, thankful for his many friends here on the edge of the Bering Sea, and thankful that even though he heads to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center later this month for yet another surgery, he continues to make steady progress toward an even greater recovery. Perkins' brother Nate made the radio call. While collecting samples near a stream in Montana, a bear mauled Kornak from behind. I know if I lost consciousness, I would probably die. Perkins, who spent his life in Alaska, has a fair bit of experience around grizzlies, but added, "I never had one hide like this one!" What followed after it burst from a snow cave has been an experience he couldn't imagine in his worst nightmares. The bear immediately launched an attack, lifting Brooke off his feet and tearing into him. The Wes Perkins Grizzly Bear Attack and Survival Story - Nome, AK. Dannie Rose released a short film about Perkins' experience. As he flew, others were rolling into action, too. Wes Perkins, KL0FM, of Nome, Alaska, was seriously mauled by a grizzly bear during a hunting trip on Sunday, May 14. He'd probably be better off spending the rest of his life somewhere warmer than this isolated, far-north community. Perkins said the weather was bad - snowing a bit and slightly overcast. Ruth Bashinsky For Dailymail.Com "He was also sent to Harborview in Seattle, where I spent three months recovering. "I started spooning liquid in back of my throat as it would get so dry. Also known as Wes Perkins, Perkins Perkins, Perkins Charles Wesley. He was then rushed back to Nome, and then to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. 2022 Anchorage Daily News. 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, Mr Perkins told Newsweek. Doctors had to use part of his fibula to create a jaw to replace what the bear ripped off of his face. Rather than fleeing like most usually do, the bear fed into its fighting instinct, as it likely felt threatened. "My (bad) eye, if I can keep and it does OK, maybe in 10 years they can fix it. Dan Stang said the bear had been hiding in the willows. Four months after the attack, Wes is able to get around on his own, but is far from being back to life as he knew it. "I have never been really depressed that I can remember," Wes wrote. Paramedic Wes Perkins, from Alaska, is lucky to be alive after going out on a bear hunt with two pals. So we walk around the lake where they live. Interviewed by Youtuber Dannie Rose for. "I did not know the bear was 69 feet away in a snow cave. Even as the Stangs began life-saving first aid, they were radioing for help from Nome, a community far from anywhere at the tip of the Seward Peninsula jutting into the sea closer to Russia than Anchorage, the urban hub of the 49th state. WATCH. 05/18/2011. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. They wanted help if I was willing to help give them some direction as to what may happen. Imagine having the worst case of the flu you've ever known, and you'll get the idea. "So telling myself to function and never close my eyes or go unconscious was the main concentration.". Terms & Conditions! Beim Jagen wurde er von einem Grizzly angegriffen, der ihm die Zhne, den Kiefer und die Zunge herausriss. As advised by Mr Stang, Mr Perkins buried his face in the snow to numb the pain. But Perkins' family roots go deep here. He has taken to trying to come up with the ultimate in smoothies. Been on the fire dept. Perkins was on methadone for a long time after the bear attack to try to hold back the pain morphine couldn't stop. I would not get 69 feet from a bear in the zoo. She said I can't leave hospital until I can climb stairs. 'I turned and saw the bear, full charge,' Perkins told Anchorage Daily News in a previous interview. Scary. He pretty much single-handedly organized a rescue to lift his brother from the wilderness of the Kigluaik Mountains, about 30 miles east of this small community. My epiglottis (was) not working, but I can swallow and it's getting to my stomach.". Perkins momentarily lost the bear tracks as the bear walked through a stand of brush too dense for the man to ride through on his snowmobile. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. Wes Perkins, 65, who lost his teeth, tongue and jaw during the 2011 attack, said he and two friends were driving around a hill while tracking the 'nice size bear'. According to the Alaska State Troopers, Perkins and two friends had been tracking the bear east of Nome-- located on the Seward Peninsula-- when the big grizzly charged the group.Perkins' companions shot and killed the animal during the attack. I had no time to do anything.". Heres more from the Anchorage Daily News. A year after the attack in 2011, Mr Perkins said: "I only had time to say, 'Oh s***!' brain zaps when falling asleep; mini husbilar till salu amsterdam. And that is the amazing part of this story. He didn't call Alaska State Troopers and wait for others to act. At his Nome home earlier this month, recognizing that a reporter was having trouble understanding all of his words, he got out his notepad and conducted an interview in long hand. Perkins said: '[I] do most everything I used to do but since I cannot close my mouth, I cannot swim and it's hard to run or jog, as my jaw bounces because I lost so much muscle in my jaw but hell, those are small things in life. Tough to get off.". But before they could hunt it, the bear emerged from a hole it had dug, just 70ft away from Mr Perkins. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. "The bear grabbed his face, bit it and ripped it off. What followed after it burst from a snow cave has been an experience he couldn't imagine in his worst nightmares. I only had time to say, Oh sh*t! But I got my gun halfway off my back When I turned around, the bear was that close. Mr Stang said in the short documentary that the bear also tried to charge at him before his son joined him in firing shots at it. 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) So telling myself to function and never close my eyes or go unconscious was the main concentration.. T he attack happened in 2011 but 65-year-old Wes Perkins still bears the scars of a terrifying encounter with a grizzly beast in the Alaskan mountains. Some 18 months and 26 surgeries after a grizzly bear ripped off his face, former Nome firefighter Wes Perkins says life is good and he "feels great." In 2011, Perkins had his face ripped off by a grizzly bear in what has been described as one of the most horrific attacks on record. He was on a hunting trip with friends and family when it happened. It was an adult female that attacked him, clasping his leg in its teeth and clawing off his skin while trying to drag him away. Stock image of a grizzly bear (right) and a still of Wes Perkins giving an interview in late 2022, over 10 years after he was mauled by a grizzly in the Alaskan wilderness. There is no gentle way to describe his condition. Despite surviving the attack, he was left with permanent damage as he still has issues talking, eating and drinking. 'I was getting wet from the snow and starting to get cold,' Perkins, who waited in for nearly an hour before help arrived, said. 26 surgeries and more than $1 million accumulated in medical suspenses later, Wes is getting along. Here's more from theAnchorage Daily News. So I went to the second therapist at Alaska Regional and had a second test. His will to survive and keep going, stay positive.'. His left eye, which sees only light and dark, weeps constantly. The bear began to maul Perkins, severely disfiguring his face. He had titanium plates inserted in both cheeks and a titanium rib around the jawbone during the facial reconstruction process. It was essentially a bear hunt gone bad,a routine and pleasant hunt that took a turn for the worse when Perkins came across the wrong bear at the wrong time. The titanium plates in his face will likely always give him trouble in the cold. The animal burst out of a hole and charged the 65-year-old, tearing into him with its sharp claws. "I have 'Speak It' (software) on my phone and Ipad," he said, "but if I do not try to talk, I will never get better." He tried to punch the bear but it then bit his arm. His partners were Dan Stang, a Nome dentist, and his son, Edward, a student in dentistry school at the time. The former fire chief was exploring the Alaskan wilderness when the attack happened in 2011. I could not move my face sideways or my airway would close. His horrific wounds included the skin on his scalp, back and buttocks being ripped away while one of his ears was also torn off. 65-year-old Wes Perkins recently shared his story with Newsweek. "I caught a few silvers (silver salmon)," he wrote. She suffered two fractures and severe lacerations on her head, neck, and back, according to a GoFundMe page. The attack happened in 2011 but 65-year-old Wes Perkins still bears the scars of a terrifying encounter with a grizzly beast in the Alaskan mountains. COPYRIGHT 2023, WOMG. billion pound cruise 'So telling myself to function and never close my eyes or go unconscious was the main concentration.'. For more information, please see our 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. 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. So I was lucky I was able to put myself through this at home. 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