A hunter who was mutilated by a grizzly bear in a gruesome battle which resembled scenes from film The Revenant has had his face rebuilt over the last year thanks to pioneering surgeons.
Lee Brooke, 60, was approaching an elk he had shot last year while hunting in the mountains of Wyoming when a 30-stone female bear attacked him from behind, ripping off half his face and knocking him unconscious.
He woke to feel her sniffing at his cheek. ‘I could feel the whiskers,’ he told Fox News.
Blinded by blood soaking his eyes, Lee managed to grab a steak knife from his pocket and stab the bear in the head, just inches from her deadly jaws.
She retreated which gave Lee the chance to escape.
Lee Brooke was approaching an elk he had shot while hunting in the mountains of Wyoming when a 30-stone female bear attacked him from behind, ripping off half his face
He was rushed to hospital where he was put in a medically induced coma for one month at the Swedish Burn and Reconstructive Unit in Colorado
Badly mutilated and bleeding heavily, he screamed into the woods for help.
He said that he did not know if he would survive the attack, but was determined to live to see his wife Martha again.
He had been separated from his hunting party, but hearing his cries, his brother-in-law George Neal found him.
He also retrieved his severed nose and upper lip before helping him down the mountain where they could find phone reception and called for help.
He was rushed to hospital where he was put in a medically induced coma for one month at the Swedish Burn and Reconstructive Unit in Colorado.
Hours of surgery kept him alive and preserved part of his nose.
Blood from Lee’s arm now feeds his nose and doctors may one day use what’s left of his nose to reconstruct a new one on his face.
‘Then I’ll be a new Lee,’ he said.
Hours of surgery kept him alive and preserved part of his nose. Blood from Lee’s arm now feeds his nose and doctors may one day use what’s left of his nose to reconstruct a new one on his face
Lifesaving: The Swedish Medical Centre where Lee was treated. He said staff there saved him
He spent three months having long, complicated surgeries, including one which lasted for 24 hours.
Much of Lee’s current face was produced through delicate procedures using skin grafts from his right leg.
Bones in Lee’s face were partially constructed with leg bone and he has many metal plates and screws in his head.
Much of Lee’s current face was produced through delicate procedures using skin grafts from his right leg. Bones in Lee’s face were partially constructed with leg bone and he has many metal plates and screws in his head
It took a dedicated team of pioneering doctors in Colorado three months of long, complicated surgeries, including one which lasted for 24 hours, to save Lee
Lee then spent two months in rehab exercising, learning how to eat again and overcoming physiological trauma. ‘We didn’t just fix his body, we really wanted to make sure that he recovered mentally,’ surgeon Lily Daniali told Fox
Lee then spent two months in rehab exercising, learning how to eat again and overcoming physiological trauma.
‘We didn’t just fix his body, we really wanted to make sure that he recovered mentally,’ surgeon Lily Daniali told Fox.
Brooke can no longer control tears. A good portion of his face is gone. He depends on a tracheal tube to tell his story.
‘I should’ve bled to death right there,’ he told friends who’ve helped pay for his medical bills.
‘I should’ve drowned on my blood.’