The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
Today’s something good is friends who have your back.
Last week, four members of the wrestling team from Northwest College in Wyoming went hiking to look for antlers. On that hike, they faced a terrible ordeal that has bonded them as friends, as well as teammates, according to KSL.
Brady Lowry was the first to spot signs of a bear and was only able to shout “Bear!” before it crashed through the trees and attacked him. He rolled into a ball trying to protect his head, while the bear latched on to his arm and shook him. Kendell Cummings shouted at the bear and grabbed its fur to distract it and lead it away from Brady.
“I didn’t want to lose my friend. It was bad. There was big ol’ bear on top of him. I could have run and potentially lost a friend, or get him off and save him,” Kendell said.
He was successful, but at a high price. The bear then attacked him, mauling him and knocking Kendell down a five-foot ledge. The bear suddenly stopped attacking him but when Kendell yelled for Brady to help him, the bear circled back and mauled him again. In the second round, the bear bit Kendell on the head and face.
Kendell told KSL that the bear “tackled me, chewed me up a bit.”
Brady, meanwhile, made his way to the top of a ridge, where he called emergency services for help. “I remember getting on the phone and I said ‘You know, that’s our brother up there. We’re not leaving,'” Brady told the dispatcher.
August Harrison and Orrin Jackson, the other two friends on the hike, reunited with Brady, found out what had happened, and they went looking for Kendell.
When the bear finally wandered off, Kendell, severely wounded, made his way back to the trail. His teammates found him walking out of the trees, dripping in blood. August and Orrin took turns carrying Kendell a mile to safety. They were eventually picked up by a farmer, then by rescue workers.
The boys credit their coach for teaching them lessons that applied to the attack. “We become best friends going to hell and back with each other. Seeing someone sweat and bleed … coach teaches us that. You aren’t going to leave a brother behind,” Brady said.
Of Kendell, Brady said, “He definitely saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, if I was by myself, I would not have made it off that mountain.”
Of his teammates, Cummings said, “They’re awesome. I know that all of us would do anything for each other. It didn’t matter who was up there.”
Brady has a broken arm and Kendell has had several surgeries and many staples in his face, but both are expected to make full recoveries and have been released from the hospital.
When things are bad, it’s a good thing to have friends who have your back.
Now it’s your turn… tell me something good!
