The Bear's Embrace

An astonishing memoir about how one woman survived a brutal attack by a grizzly bear, and how she recovered—as a survivor, a wife and a mother.

“Overwhelmingly inspirational…. Van Tighem’s story is a testament to human strength” —The Plain Dealer

On a chilly autumn morning in 1983, during a relaxing escape to the Canadian Rockies, Patricia Van Tighem and her husband were attacked by a grizzly bear. Although they survived, their ordeal was just beginning. For years Van Tighem endured numerous surgeries as doctors attempted to reconstruct her face and ease her pain. The nightmares that haunted her carried their own psychological burden. In many ways she had to redefine her sense of who she was. 

Author Biography

PATRICIA VAN TIGHEM’s story has been featured on National Geographic and BBC television. Trained as a nurse, she lives in a small town in the mountains of British Columbia with her husband and four children.