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Kathy Survives Bear
of a Birthday
 (Fall 2005) — Sheehan World publisher Kathy Sheehan has survived
a bear attack on a birthday cruise to Alaska, according to Virgo
authorities in Bellingham, Wash.
Sheehan, celebrating her 29th birthday again this year, was mauled
by a grizzly bear while sightseeing in Glacier Bay aboard the Volendam
with 10 family members and friends.
"I was watching these magnificent 250-foot pinnacles of ice calf
into the water when the bear came charging out of the casino," Sheehan
said. "He
first attacked my brother, Billy, biting off his arm. Then he came for
me.
Luckily,
my cabin boy, who does a mean impression of a fierce walrus, came to
my
aid."
 Sheehan
also gave credit to her sister-in-law
Linda Dingee, R.N., another family member on the cruise, who administered
First-Aid with a bottle of tequila.
The bear later attempted to crash a SCRABBLE game on the Lido deck of
the ship but was scared off by Dr. Ruth Harvey of Philadelphia who claims
to carry the "smartest knife in the drawer."
Sheehan had organized a group of friends and family for the Alaskan
birthday cruise from Vancouver, B.C., but denied she had invited the
grizzly.
"It wasn't even his birthday, so I don't know what the deuce he
was doing on the ship," she said.
The bear attack was a minor incident in an otherwise calm voyage to
set off a series of Kathy birthday events.
In addition to the above-named people, cruisers who witnessed
the birthday bear attack were two Donnas (Sheehan and Connor); two 14-year-old
boys (Brian
Sheehan
and
Bennett
Kerr); two
Virgo
brothers (Chuck and Bill Dingee); and Jim Martin, whose birthday celebration
a couple of days later marked his eligibility for a certain kind of medical
insurance.
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