Within the intensive care unit on the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Gary Hansen sits by the mattress of his spouse, Leosette [Cheng] Canoy, telling her, “We love you. Dangle on.”
He cannot maintain his spouse’s hand as a result of her arms are too badly mauled from a bear assault.
She is sedated and on a ventilator after present process greater than six hours of surgical procedure for accidents to her arms, head, again, and ear.
“She’s my present from God. It is horrific to see my spouse like that. The bear chewed her up unhealthy.”
Canoy and her buddy, Analyn Shurtliff Bartolome, have been critically injured by a male black bear who charged them on a strolling path close to Dawson Creek, B.C., on Monday.
Canoy’s niece, Wenneli Canoy, who was on the stroll however wasn’t injured, stated her aunt was attacked when she rushed to the help of her buddy.
Bartolome’s teenage son was additionally injured attempting to fend off the bear. He and Canoy’s niece have been finally in a position to attain security and name 911.
With darkness approaching, police say two RCMP officers in an all-terrain automobile discovered the 2 ladies mendacity within the bush with life-threatening accidents.
Employees Sgt. Damon Werrell, detachment commander of the Dawson Creek RCMP, stated the officers shot and killed a big bear close by that seemed to be “guarding the victims.”
Hansen stated he is haunted by the picture of his spouse and her buddy mendacity within the bush, ready to be rescued, with the bear “guarding his catch, his subsequent meal.”
Canoy was medevaced to a hospital in Edmonton, nearly 600 kilometres away.
Hansen stated his spouse works with disabled adults and is a religious Christian.
She emigrated to Canada from the Philippines about 15 years in the past, and he says, fell in love with the Canadian wilderness.
He stated his spouse loves climbing and tenting, and the couple typically goes quadding within the space.
He stated the group set out on the strolling path Monday “on the lookout for good spots to take fall footage with the autumn leaves.”
In a submit on social media, a household buddy of Bartolome, the second sufferer, says she is in ICU in Vancouver and has extreme arm accidents.
The submit says Bartolome is a spouse and mom of two teenage youngsters and works onerous to assist her household.
Dawson Creek’s close-knit Filipino group and native companies are rallying to assist the ladies and assist carry Canoy’s mom and nephew to her bedside from the Philippines.
A Dawson creek trucking firm donated $500.
“Now we have a giant Filipino group right here, and I’ve some Filipino folks working for my firm. I simply requested them how I may assist. They’re actually going to wish some assist,” stated Neil Norman of Reg Norman Trucking
Hansen says he’ll be by his spouse’s aspect for the lengthy restoration.
“We stay in Canada right here, and we hear about bear assaults, however we by no means suppose it is gonna be us, ? And now right here it’s with my household, and it has been a horrible ordeal. I am overwhelmed.”