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. 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. Interviewed by Youtuber Dannie Rose for. The lbs., too, is underlined three times. He's not the man he once was, but he's still very appreciative to be alive. Despite surviving the attack, he was left with permanent damage as he still has issues talking, eating and drinking. 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. "I can taste some," he wrote, "and smell a little. Paramedic Wes Perkins, from Alaska, is lucky to be alive after going out on a bear hunt with two pals. 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. So I was lucky I was able to put myself through this at home. The day I left the hospital they told me I was addicted or dependent on opiates. Wes, the SurvivorWes is getting along as best as he can. Big bear.". She underwent a four-hour operation to remove bone fragments and clean wounds to her brain and had metal plates and screws inserted into her skull. So I would message him when he was in pain, to help him through the process. He was quoted in the interview with Anchorage Daily News: "I had to dig stuff out of (my) airway to breathe," he wrote. When I turned around, the bear was that close. Alexey was collecting crabs in the remote Kuril islands in eastern Russia when he was cornered by a group of brown bears including cubs in a pincer movement, according to reports. "I knew I could hear so I could talk to Ed and Dan who were with me.". When a Canadian family noticed a group of bears on their property, the father attempted to scare them off by firing a warning shot into the air. 'I lost my tongue, jaw and all but a few teeth,' Wes Perkins told Newsweek about the grizzly bear attack in 2011. . Categories . "Been to Council (a community on the Nome road system where the family keeps a summer cabin), and camp. 'I only had time to say, 'Oh s***!' 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. Wes Perkins was the luckiest man to walk the earth, this guy survived the most gruesome bear attack ever.The bear attack was so horrific, hard to look at or to think about.The following is a story from Anchorage Daily News about survival, incredible willpower, and how the unbelievable can become the truth. Dan Stang said that he immediately grabbed his gun and started shooting the bear. So I spent a couple of months at home that fall putting myself through the Wes Perkins Opiate Withdrawal Clinic.. Paramedic Wes Perkins, from Alaska, is lucky to be alive after going out on a bear hunt with two pals. Wesley was conscious,' he said. Everything he consumes comes from a blender now, but its better than being underground. As Brooke lay bleeding, he could see his nose and mustache on the ground. Perkins heard an explosion of brush and snow crunching behind him and spun quickly to find the source. "I grind up soup, some meat, veggies, lots of frozen fruit, protein powder, bananas, banana bread," he wrote. He told Newsweek: "I basically kept my airway open and had to dig the debris out of my airway, when I lost my tongue, jaw and all but a few teeth. At this point, Dan Stangs son starteed shooting at the grizzly bear, eventually killing it. "When the bear attacked me it just grabbed me by the ears and bit into my face and took me down," Hansen told the Independent in 2020. Also, (as) long as I lay still just right I was able to keep my airway open. And, he became addicted to painkillers, having taken morphine, and opiates during the recovery. They had seen the grizzly at a distance and began tracking it. There is no gentle way to describe his condition. Perkins said the weather was bad - snowing a bit and slightly overcast. Interviewed by Youtuber Dannie Rose for a short film released last month, Mr Perkins, a former fire chief in the city of Nome, recounted the attack in detail. Tom Sommer, Grizzly Bear, Montana, Non-fatal This grizzly bear attack happened just two years ago and went wildly viral for the photos of Sommer's wounds. Perkins rolled him forward and buried his face in the snow to help numb it while they immediately radioed for emergency aid. I just walked out three miles, now I got to go to the hospital, so be safe out there. 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. I used a cane, as they said I had to. A rescue helicopter was dispatched immediately thanks to help from Perkins brother who knew a pilot. 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 do everything else.'. So when I stopped, I thought the bear was ahead of me. We saw it had been running. As he flew, others were rolling into action, too. 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. 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.. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Dad, teacher from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, moved to Council to teach school in 1952 or '53. 15:31 GMT 28 Jan 2023. Wes is related to John D Perkins and Robert Stevens Perkins as well as 2 additional people. 2. death_of_gnats 4 yr. ago. 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 . 05/18/2011. He still has a tube in his throat. 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. Perkins spent the next four months in hospital, undergoing numerous operations to repair the damage done by the bear. Doctors had to amputate one of Alexeys legs because of the severity of his injuries. 65-year-old Wes Perkins recently shared his story with Newsweek. So I went to the second therapist at Alaska Regional and had a second test. The day I left the hospital they told me I was addicted or dependent on opiates. It's been a long road for her and the kids, too. The bear immediately launched an attack, lifting Brooke off his feet and tearing into him. 'I was getting wet from the snow and starting to get cold,' Perkins, who waited in for nearly an hour before help arrived, said. A man who had his face torn off by a grizzly bear has explained how he managed to survive the attack. Go to the mall in a cab and then walk around there. His left eye, which sees only light and dark, weeps constantly. mimilano super soft merino. They have also lived in Downers Grove, IL and Joliet, IL. Out of nowhere, the bear reappearedmuch closer than they had thought. There is no gentle way to describe his condition. "I had a camera in my pocket, snowgo jacket. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. After he was attacked last May, it was reported that he'd been taking pictures of the bear before it charged. . Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com. 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. Filmmaker and YouTuber Dannie Rose released a short film about Perkins' experience. He was initially taken to a hospital in Nome and then to Seattle. . The animal burst out of a hole and charged the 65-year-old, tearing into him with its sharp claws. 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!" The bear then rode on his back down a slope, crushing his body and started ripping off his face. His partners were Dan Stang, a Nome dentist, and his son, Edward, a student in dentistry school. He wouldn't be sure of the answer to that question for quite a while. Let us know via science@newsweek.com. 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. So how did this nightmare of situation come about? 26 surgeries and more than $1 million accumulated in medical suspenses later, Wes is getting along. "If I was unconscious, I would have died. Select this result to view Wes Henry Perkins's phone number, address, and more. So I was right behind her all the way. He too survived, most of his injuries were wounds, on the torso, leg, etcetera. He rushed to the hospital in Nome, stabilized, and then transffered to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I would not get 69 feet from a bear in the zoo. . Wes remembers them all. When Perkins is in town for therapy, they share tales of the Iditarod, which Wes snowmachined more than a decade ago. Not sure there is an animal on earth more terrifying than a grizzly bear. I was lucky that I was able to learn how to talk again., Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. He has a speech therapist in Anchorage, Anne Ver Hoef, the snowshoer of Iditarod Trail Invitational fame. The bear had ripped off most of his jaw and tongue, and caused huge damage to one of his eyes. 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. I found out on my own about the sports bottle so with the trach (trachea) tube out I could suck like a straw. His left eye, which sees only light and dark, weeps constantly. He now helps people who are experiencing similar recoveries from attacks. He didnt call Alaska State Troopers and wait for others to act. August 4, 2020. The story and what are apparently the photos resulting from a bear attack are hard to look at, hard to think about, and hard to imagine.