%C2%A0(8)%C2%A0(1)%20(3).png "She Was Mauled by a Bear—But Walked Out of the Hospital Hours Later")
In the summer of 2018, what began as a peaceful weekend at a Bible camp in northern Canada turned into a life-or-death encounter that would forever mark Cassidy Schroeder and her family. They had traveled there to share about their upcoming move to Thailand as missionaries. It was meant to be a joyful time—campfires, lake views, and conversations about faith and calling.
Instead, it became a testimony of survival, surrender, and what Cassidy firmly believes was divine protection.
A Warning in the Wilderness
When the Schroeder family arrived at camp, they were told a bear had been spotted in the area. It wasn’t considered an immediate threat—just something to be aware of. People weren’t hiding in fear. Life continued normally.
But on their first evening, Cassidy’s children spotted something alarming.
“Mom, there’s a bear outside.”
The animal had crawled underneath their cabin and lingered nearby. Eventually, camp leaders aggressively chased it away, but the fact that it wasn’t easily scared off was unsettling.
The following night, the camp pastor felt a strong urge to pray specifically for Cassidy and her family.
“You’re going into enemy territory,” he said. “We need to pray for protection.”
In hindsight, those prayers were prophetic.
The Attack
The next morning, Cassidy’s son woke her with panic in his voice.
“The bear is back.”
She pulled back the curtain and saw it pressing against their cabin door, then climbing the side of the building and swiping at the window screens.
Concerned for other campers—especially those in tents—Cassidy stepped outside to warn them.
She found the bear near the mess hall window. When it saw her, it slowly turned and began walking toward her.
At first, she backed away calmly, making noise as she had been taught. Bears are usually afraid of humans.
But this one wasn’t.
Without warning, it charged.
Within seconds, it knocked her to the ground and began mauling her legs—biting and ripping with terrifying strength.
She remembers thinking if the bear reached her neck, it would be over.
A Prayer in the Middle of Terror
As the attack continued, Cassidy experienced an unexpected clarity.
Certain she might die, she prayed.
Not frantic. Not bargaining. Just surrender.
“God, I’m ready.”
She felt peace. She trusted that if this was the end, God would take care of her family.
It was a moment of complete release—placing her life fully in His hands.
A Husband’s Fight
At that moment, her husband Brad arrived.
Without hesitation, he engaged the bear—kicking, punching, fighting to protect his wife. He later recalled striking the animal and realizing how powerful and solid it was.
Cassidy managed to break free and run toward a nearby cabin, pounding on the door and shouting for help.
The bear caught up with her again, knocking her down and attacking once more.
Brad fought it off again.
Somehow—Cassidy still cannot fully explain how—she felt herself lifted by her legs into the cabin, just beyond the bear’s reach.
To this day, she believes God intervened in that moment.
Brad eventually made it inside. The bear finally retreated.
A Miraculous Outcome
Cassidy was rushed to the hospital.
The injuries were severe. Her legs were torn and bruised. She required numerous staples and treatment for deep wounds.
But doctors were astonished by one critical detail:
Her injuries were almost entirely below the waist.
“If the bear had gotten you from the waist up,” the doctor told her, “you’d be looking at fatal injuries.”
It hadn’t.
And just hours later, Cassidy walked out of the hospital room on her own.
She stood up and walked.
For her, there is no doubt:
“It was a miracle.”
Wrestling with God
Physical healing came quickly. Emotional healing took longer.
Cassidy wrestled with hard questions:
If God is powerful, why did this happen at all?
Why allow the attack?
Why not prevent it entirely?
In her prayers, she felt God give her a picture—Him holding her upper body away from the bear, protecting her from worse harm.
And she sensed Him asking a question in return:
“Will you trust Me?”
Her answer came through tears.
“Yes.”
A Deeper Faith
The months following the attack were filled with gratitude.
She says joy overflowed—not because the attack happened, but because she survived it.
Psalm 46:1 became deeply personal:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
She believes that help was literal.
She believes prayer surrounded her like armor.
She believes God intervened in the wilderness.
When Miracles Don’t Remove Scars
Cassidy still carries scars.
But she sees them differently now.
Miracles don’t always mean no pain.
Sometimes they mean preserved life.
Sometimes they mean limited damage.
Sometimes they mean walking out of a hospital hours after something that should have ended you.
Faith in the Unknown
Her story challenges an important question:
Can we trust God even when He doesn’t stop the attack?
Because faith isn’t only believing God prevents hardship.
It’s believing He walks with us through it.
The wilderness is unpredictable.
But God is not.
Living as a Testimony
Today, Cassidy continues forward in her missionary calling.
Her story has strengthened—not weakened—her faith.
She speaks openly about the power of prayer.
About surrender.
About trusting God without full understanding.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” she says, “that God showed up and worked miracles.”
And perhaps the greatest miracle isn’t just that she survived.
It’s that she trusts Him even more now than before.
Final Thoughts
Life can turn in an instant.
But Cassidy’s story reminds us:
And sometimes…
He allows us to walk out of hospital rooms that statistics say we shouldn’t.
Not because we deserve it.
But because His grace is greater.
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