{"product_id":"beyond-the-bear-how-i-learned-to-live-and-love-again-after-being-blinded-by-a-bear-9781493016426","title":"Beyond the Bear: How I Learned to Live and Love Again after Being Blinded by a Bear","description":"A 25-year-old backcountry wanderer, 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 on the trail. Dan barely had time to register this before the bear had him on the ground with his head in its powerful mouth. All of his happiness was shattered by a mauling that left him blind and disfigured. Facing paralyzing pain and inconceivable loss, Dan was in no shape to be in a relationship with the woman he had just decided he loved, and so he let her 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, and to choose not just to live, but to live fully.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDan Bigley, who earned a master's degree in social work after losing his sight, is now the director of therapeutic foster care services at Denali Family Services in Anchorage and was awarded a 2008 Alaskan of the Year Award by the Governor's Committee on Employment and Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDebra McKinney is a freelance writer who was part of a team that won journalism's highest honor, the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, for the Anchorage Daily News. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Lyons Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50466687549714,"sku":"9781493016426","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dd1a7539-6d5f-4213-92c0-693c5fec44d5.jpg?v=1730125439","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/beyond-the-bear-how-i-learned-to-live-and-love-again-after-being-blinded-by-a-bear-9781493016426","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}