{"id":1315,"date":"2019-03-06T15:24:58","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T15:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/?p=1315"},"modified":"2019-03-06T15:24:58","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T15:24:58","slug":"bear-attack-survivor-shares-death-defying-story-in-exclusive-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/?p=1315","title":{"rendered":"Bear attack survivor shares death-defying story in exclusive interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fitvids-video\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HktIKijnk3w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Melinda LeBarron gingerly shifted her petite 107-pound frame back into her new dark brown couch while nervously holding onto graphic photographs taken of her on Dec. 12 \u2014 the night she and her dog were viciously attacked by a black bear outside her rural Montgomery home.<\/p>\n<p>In the images, LeBarron\u2019s face is bloody and bloated, her right ear is partially torn off and a large part of her scalp is missing.<\/p>\n<p>Eighty-three days later \u2014 and exactly a month after her Feb. 6 discharge from Geisinger Medical Center \u2014 she is left with numerous scars from a series of surgeries and skin grafts on her head.<\/p>\n<p>Scars, and the terrifying memories of her encounter with an estimated 250-pound black bear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat her intentions were (that night), I have no idea. She was not nice about it \u2014 she wasn\u2019t just dragging me like a dead animal, taking me down to feed on me,\u201d LeBarron said. \u201cShe rolled me, she clawed at me. I told her a couple of times out loud to just stop. It hurt so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronDjpg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1317\" src=\"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronDjpg-300x203.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronDjpg-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronDjpg-768x519.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronDjpg-1024x692.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronDjpg.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Gruesome attack<\/strong>On Wednesday, Dec. 12, LeBarron\u2019s husband, Sid, was away from home running an errand. She decided to take out her 2-year-old Pekingese-Chihuahua mix, coincidentally named Bear, and smoke her evening cigarette before her favorite 8 p.m. television shows started.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI looked outside to make sure there was nothing she (the dog) would chase. I didn\u2019t see anything.,\u201d LeBarron said. \u201cI heard a bunch of growling and carrying on and I stepped out onto a flatter part of the patio. Bear (the dog) came back, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw something black and her claws came down on top of me and smacked me to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LeBarron didn\u2019t know how to respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was no getting up, there was no getting away from her. She just started clawing me, working on the top of my head and started dragging me through our yard,\u201d she said. \u201cShe just kept pulling on me with her claws and her teeth and I heard her biting into my head.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After being dragged an estimated 88 to 90 yards across the road and into a brushy field, LeBarron was dropped by the bear, which stood there for a few moments and let out a low growl before walking off.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought maybe if I laid still, she would walk away and leave me alone. I laid there a little bit, wondering if she was coming back for me,\u201d LeBarron said. \u201cI looked up to see how far I was away from my house. I saw the silhouette of our maple tree, my car, our porch light and the outline of the flower bed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LeBarron slowly made her way back to her house wearing just her shirt and jacket, focused on making it inside and wanting to see if her dog was OK. When she made it inside, LeBarron noticed the back door was open, and looked outside for signs of Bear before realizing how bad of shape she was in and that she needed to take care of herself. She called her landlord who lives nearby and came to help right away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought I was dying. Luckily, the EMTs were here in a split second. They acted like they were astonished when they saw me,\u201d LeBarron remembered.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronBjpg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1318\" src=\"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronBjpg-300x195.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronBjpg-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronBjpg-768x500.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronBjpg-1024x666.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronBjpg.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Medical miracle<\/strong>LeBarron received nine surgeries and was treated by more than 100 people during her eight-week stay at Geisinger Medical Center \u2014 most of which was spent in the Intensive Care Unit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe came in with many medical issues. She had a clavicle fracture, facial fractures of her cheekbone, sinuses and jaw, multiple rib fractures and numerous abrasions,\u201d said Dr. Denise Torres, head of Geisinger\u2019s trauma program. \u201cHowever, the biggest thing that caused the most issues was that a large amount of her scalp was pulled off her skull. There was so much potential contamination there \u2014 the infection risk was very high.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres has treated a few scalping injuries, but this was the first involving a bear attack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not a bear attack expert, but apparently what bears do is grab the head and swing it around and most people die from a broken neck,\u201d Torres said. \u201cMelinda had neck surgery in the past and had a number of metal rods in her neck and back. This may have been what saved her. However, instead of the neck breaking, her scalp came off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of LeBarron\u2019s nine surgeries with Geisinger, most of them were with the plastic surgeon who layered membrane, skin grafts and a collagen replacement system that helped promote the growth of her own skin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is unlikely to have hair grow back there \u2014 her identity may be forever changed, but the rest of her has been doing so well. For anyone to overcome something like this takes a certain amount of courage, attitude and willingness to get better,\u201d Torres said. \u201cSupport from her family and friends definitely played a part in her situation going so well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronHjpg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1319\" src=\"http:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronHjpg-300x201.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronHjpg-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronHjpg-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronHjpg-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/RI030619lebarronHjpg.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Overwhelming support<\/strong>LeBarron is forever grateful to the Geisinger team for its treatment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey saved my life that night,\u201d she said. \u201cNo one likes being in the hospital, and it was definitely very tough, but the staff at Geisinger made it the best they could. My eighth grandchild was born on Feb. 2 while I was in there, and they let me go to the room and spend the night and see him being born.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bear was discovered whimpering under a bed in the LeBarron home by different neighbors the night of the attack. They wrapped her in a towel and rushed her to the veterinarian for care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was in bad shape and had lost a lot of blood. If they hadn\u2019t acted so quickly, she probably wouldn\u2019t have made it,\u201d LeBarron said. \u201cThey even paid part of the veterinary bill.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite a fractured sternum, punctured lung and numerous deep lacerations, Dr. Tristan Wilhelm said that the dog\u2019s most critical issue was blood loss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had lost so much blood. It reached the point where she almost needed a transfusion,\u201d he said. \u201cThe loss of blood and the bleeding into her lungs were extremely concerning. Fortunately, her body kicked back in just in time and she didn\u2019t require major intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He admitted that the community\u2019s support was overwhelming \u2014 not just for Bear and for his team, but for the family.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll the support is amazing,\u201d said Wilhelm. \u201cThis community is caring and invested. People are making donations \u2014 we\u2019ve even seen donations come in from out of state. It has been an amazing thing to be a part of \u2014 this is why we do what we do. It has all just been so inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LeBarron \u2014 who enjoys going outside to feed her ducks, but only in full daylight, and who has had numerous motion-activating floodlights added to her property \u2014 agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you thank so many people? It goes beyond words. I have gotten messages from people from other states \u2014 people I don\u2019t even know who say they are praying for me and pulling for me,\u201d she said. \u201cHow do you repay that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For now, the plan is to continue recovering and enjoying her family as much as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy husband has been really good, protecting me and doing stuff around the house like laundry. The kids have been helping out running me to doctor appointments,\u201d said LeBarron, who recently was cleared to resume driving on her own. \u201cAnd my grandkids \u2014 they are the ones who really pushed me through my hospital stay.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI should have died that night, but obviously someone up there \u2014 it has to be God \u2014 has a purpose for me. I don\u2019t know what that is yet, but for now, I\u2019m going to enjoy my family and appreciate the second chance I\u2019ve been given.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Melinda LeBarron gingerly shifted her petite 107-pound frame back into her new dark brown couch while nervously holding onto graphic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[991,992,976,952,956],"class_list":["post-1315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoors","tag-bear-attack","tag-chihuahua","tag-geisinger","tag-melinda-lebarron","tag-montgomery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1315"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1321,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315\/revisions\/1321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crosshairscommunity.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}