Grizzly bear attack survivor praises blood donors for saving his life

Dowler shows a blood donor in Nanaimo scars from his grizzly bear attack.

Colin Dowler, a Quadra Island man who survived a grizzly bear attack a few years ago, is speaking out about the importance of donating blood, which is something that saved his life.

"The paramedics said I was lucky, and without blood, my odds of making it back to the hospital would be slim," says Dowler.

Dowler was at a Canadian Blood Services clinic at Beban Park in Nanaimo on Tuesday afternoon, thanking blood donors for saving lives, including his own.

Four years ago, Dowler was attacked by a grizzly bear while hiking and cycling in a remote area about 180 kilometres northeast of Powell River.

It's estimated that he lost three litres of blood from the attack.

A new program at the time called 'on board blood,' which supplies blood to paramedics for pre-hospital transfusions, is being credited with saving his life.

"There were o-negative units of blood on the helicopter that transported, him and being able to transfuse him ahead of time literally made the difference," says Patricia Willms, community development manager with Canadian Blood Services.

"I remember thinking at that moment, ‘Hey I’m going to live,’ because you wouldn't tell a dying man that," adds Dowler.

Canadian Blood Services is encouraging people to donate during the summer months, which is when they see a downturn in regular donors.

There are three ways to book an appointment:

Online

Download the Give Blood App:

Call: 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283)