By Holly Prestidge 

A paper conservator by trade, Wendy Cowan restores historic documents, paintings, prints, maps and other paper items. Earlier this year, a fragile, aged canvas of Richmond’s iconic Hollywood Cemetery was spread across one of her studio tables waiting to be cleaned and restored.

Paper conservator Wendy Cowan works on a historic print in her studio. She volunteers as a peer visitor for the Trauma Survivors Network once or twice a month. (Will Rummel, MCV Foundation)In a city like Richmond, where history lingers around every corner, Wendy stays busy.

Bringing delicate bits of the past back to life is a painstaking, meticulous labor of love.

Not unlike the efforts of those who tended to Cowan during her weeks-long recovery at VCU Medical Center back in 2024.

Craig Sadler, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at the Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine, is a member of the acute care surgical services team who saw Wendy “within a minute” of arriving in the trauma bay that October day. He served as her primary doctor during her first week in the hospital and followed up throughout her recovery.

Her wounds were extensive. The breaks in her cervical spine required two surgeries. She had a torn rotator cuff. Her skull was stapled from the front almost to the nape of her neck.

The punctures and lacerations on her back and arms indicated that Wendy was in the fetal position for much of the attack. The sheer number of bites and deep lacerations took nurses nearly two hours to clean and pack her wounds.

Violent trauma is the norm for VCU Medical Center, the region's only comprehensive Level I trauma center.

A bear attack was something new.

Despite what she had been through, it wasn’t just the attack that made Wendy stand out among patients.

“One of things that was striking about her was just the optimism,” Sadler said. “Most of our patients are here because something really terrible happened to them on one of the worst days of their lives.”

“None of them have asked to be here,” he said, “and so we are very used to seeing patients having any manner of emotional reaction."

Wendy was different. Even in her early recovery, she connected with those providing her care in a way that struck almost all of them.

“She was very warm, she said ‘thank you’ a lot,” he said. “Once she was stabilized, she was motivated to get better as quickly as possible to put this behind her.”

While in the hospital, Wendy realized that being attacked by a bear wasn’t an everyday occurrence. Her status as the “bear lady” afforded her a lot of attention from a lot of people.

The attention helped.

“The bear gave me a step up – I was the bear lady!” Wendy exclaimed. “It was such an unusual story and people were always stopping by and asking me about it. But that support meant so much and it helped me climb out of all of this and it helped me heal, physically and mentally.”

Wendy spent a month in the hospital, followed by a month of home care services and a year of physical therapy.

She was so grateful to her care team. She also recognized that the attack had shifted something in her – and she wanted to channel that into something that helped others.

Months later, the “bear lady” would walk back through the main entrance of VCU Medical Center, but with scars this time instead of gaping wounds, and a newfound determination to take all she’d seen and use it for good.

Wendy Cowan received the Cole Sydnor Trauma Survivor Giving Back Award during the VCU Health Shining Knight Gala on May 16, 2026. (MCV Foundation) 

Peer support for survivors of traumatic injuries

The Virginia-based Trauma Survivors Network is a national program established by the America Trauma Society to connect trauma survivors with a community of resources and support, as well as providing training and resources for healthcare providers.

As a member of that network, VCU Health offers a volunteer peer visitor program that pairs recovered trauma patients with current trauma patients, offering the kind of hope and understanding only another survivor can provide.

Wendy recalled learning about the program several months after her hospital stay. While she hadn’t been introduced to it as a patient, the support from her care team greatly impacted her recovery.

Seeing the doctors and the care team doing everything they can, it makes the world feel like a different place... It makes me want to be more like them.

Wendy Cowan, volunteer with the Trauma Survivors Network at VCU Health

Now, Wendy saw an opportunity to be that support for others. As a volunteer with Trauma Survivors Network, she visits the trauma wing at VCU Medical Center once or twice a month, often alongside fellow survivor Diana Eadie, who lost her leg in a motorcycle accident and was treated at VCU Health in 2017.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Wendy said about her decision. Volunteers are sometimes asked to visit patients who’ve had similar experiences. But she wondered how many other bear attack victims there could be. (Answer: none, so far.) Animal attacks of any kind aren’t frequent.

“Sometimes it’s hard to connect with the patients because my trauma is so different from theirs,” she said. Sharing the experience with Diana helps, particularly if there’s a lapse in conversation.

Being the “bear lady,” it seems, is the ultimate icebreaker.

“Diana will just say, ‘Wendy was attacked by a bear’ and that’s usually what gets them thinking about that and not themselves,” Wendy said. “Maybe I don’t connect with them and their injuries, but even if I can go into a room and help a patient take their mind off of their pain for a few minutes, that’s worth it.”

Wendy Cowan (left) and Diana Eadie (right) are volunteers with the Trauma Survivors Network at VCU Health. (Daniel Sangjib Min, MCV Foundation)Diana, who’s been a volunteer for seven years, described Wendy as empathetic and genuine.

“Wendy doesn’t know a stranger,” she said. “Even though most people can’t relate to a bear attack, they do relate to being out in nature and not knowing what’s going to happen and being hurt and not knowing what to do.”

Diana said Wendy never hesitates when the call comes for peer visitors.

“I’m really thankful she sees it as something important,” she said. “We can help people understand that they do have a road to recovery.”

Wendy said volunteering has helped her healing process.

“I just loved my VCU care team so much and I saw volunteering as a way to keep in touch with them,” Wendy said. “One of the great things they did was make me really interested in what they were doing. They added a sense of wonder, which kills the disinterest you get when you’re in the hospital in this awful trauma situation.”

She wants them to know they’re appreciated.

“They go out of their way to make you comfortable, but it’s a hard job. A lot of patients are hurting and they’re just angry because there’s a tendency just to get stuck in this awfulness,” she said. “Seeing the doctors and the care team doing everything they can, it makes the world feel like a different place... It makes me want to be more like them.”

The beloved ‘bear lady’ honored for volunteering at VCU Health

For her efforts, Wendy received the Cole Sydnor Trauma Survivor Giving Back Award during the 17th annual VCU Health Trauma Center Shining Knight Gala. The yearly fundraising event honors dozens of Shining Knights, including EMS, EMT and VCU Health trauma team members, celebrated for the part they played in saving a VCU trauma patient. Proceeds from the event support injury and violence prevention programs throughout VCU Health.

Wendy said she made peace with what happened to her a long time ago. And volunteering puts all of it into perspective.

“Many people I’ve met are in so much more pain than I was or they’ve lost someone from their trauma,” Wendy said. “It makes me feel how lucky I am and I hope that talking to them, I can help them to feel better, at least momentarily.”

The reminders of what she survived will always be with her.

“I’ve got a ton of scars,” Wendy said, extending her arms to reveal faint marks. A slash on her face that barely missed her eye is nearly invisible unless she points it out.

 “I don’t want them to go away,” she said softly. “I want to have them.

At VCU Health, our approach to trauma care does not begin at the moment of a traumatic event. Learn more about our personalized supportive services for patients and trauma survivors.

Wendy Cowan is a peer support volunteer with the Trauma Survivors Network at VCU Health. (Daniel Sangjib Min, MCV Foundation)

FAQ: Care at Level I trauma centers 

What services are unique to Level I trauma centers?

Many patients seen in our Level I trauma center have multiple serious injuries that require a lot of coordination across three or more surgical specialties.

Some surgical specialties that may not be available at non-Level I trauma centers such as specialists in facial trauma, spine injuries, infectious disease, pediatric trauma and expertise to reattach body parts. Patients can only receive this type of specialized care in Level I trauma centers.

What makes VCU Medical Center's Level I trauma center different from other hospitals and centers in Virginia?

VCU Medical Center’s trauma center is unlike any other trauma center in the state for several reasons:

• It's the only center verified in Central Virginia to care for adults, children and patients with burn injuries.
• We are the oldest civilian burn center in the United States, providing burn care for more than 75 years.
• Our trauma team has extensive training in orthopedic trauma surgery and our neurosurgeons are nationally recognized leaders in traumatic brain injury management.

Having these robust surgical specialties all in one place allows us to provide patients with highly coordinated, quality care from the moment of arrival in our trauma bays to follow-up appointments after being discharged from the hospital.

Are there support groups for trauma and burn survivors?

VCU Health has been a member of the Trauma Survivors Network (TSN) since 2015 and has developed our own local program since then.

Our goal is to build a community of patient and provider advocates to improve prevention efforts and outcomes for survivors of trauma and burn injuries. The local TSN chapter continues to expand and includes peer support volunteers, medical student volunteers and partnerships with trauma psychology experts and spiritual care as well as various injury and violence prevention programs.

We also refer patients to programs in and around the Richmond area after they leave the hospital and keep in touch through ongoing support groups and other events.

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