I was deeply impacted and moved by this man's story. I can only imagine what it would be to live without vision. Dan Bigley shares with us his experience in an amazing story he tells after defeating the many obstacles we can only imagine he encountered after such a devastating attack by a grizzly bear.
His book is called: "Beyond the Bear: How I Learned to Live and Love Again after being Blinded by a Bear" (Link to Amazon.com)
This is the book description (from Amazon.com)
"A 25-year-old backcountry wanderer, a man happiest exploring wild places with his dog, 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 in the trail. Dan barely had time for “bear charging” to register before it had him on the ground, altering his life forever.
“Upper nose, eyes, forehead anatomy unrecognizable,” as the medevac report put it.
Until then, one thing after another had fallen into place in Dan’s life. He had a job he loved taking troubled kids on outdoor excursions. He had just bought a cabin high in the Chugach Mountains with a view that went on forever. He was newly in love. After a year of being intrigued by a woman named Amber, they had just spent their first night together. All of this was shattered by the mauling that nearly killed him, that left him blind and disfigured.
Facing paralyzing pain and inconceivable loss, Dan was in no shape to be in a relationship. He and Amber let each other 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, to choose not just to live, but to live fully."
I would also like to invite you to the section in Reddit where he is answering questions about his blindness. You will be amazed to read about life from another perspective, full of vivid imagery and memories that define reality:
"Every sunset stems from the most vivid sunsets in my memory. Every ocean as beautiful as the most beautiful of my memory. Every car has no dents or rust, and they will always appear in my mind as they did in 2003 even 20 years from now. My wife will always appear 23 to me as this was the last time I saw her." (From Reddit) -- Dan Bigley.
