Daniel Bell loves to fish, hunt and shoot his compound bow, or just take a walk in the woods.
But two years ago, his body ravaged by a 2001 accident, the Holden man faced possibly being confined to a wheelchair. He was severely injured when the lift supporting a car he was working on failed. He was crushed under its weight.
“It kind of accordioned me, to the point where it even ruptured discs in my thoracic spine,” said Bell, now 59, who suffered a fractured skull, a broken neck and other serious injuries.
He was unable to work and could not participate in most of the outdoor activities he cherished.
“I would never wish this on anybody,” Bell said. “I wasn’t able to get out in the woods, let alone carry a rifle or shoot a bow.”
He dealt with searing pain, muscle weakness and increasingly unresponsive legs as best he could. Resigned to a life that might not include his outdoor passions, Bell began searching for ways to contribute.
Those efforts paid off. He has emerged as a strong and influential presence in the Maine outdoors community.
In 2017, Bob Humphrey, the founder of the Maine Deer Hunters Facebook page, asked Bell to serve as an administrator. Bell monitored posts and directed members to resources about issues affecting deer hunting.
“It was overwhelming how much he was able to take on,” Humphrey said. “He really grew the page.”
Bell, who had the luxury of working from home, established guidelines and cracked down on inappropriate comments. It made the site feel a bit more professional and cleaned up, Humphrey said.
It also provided Bell with a heightened sense of purpose.
“In that process of reinventing myself and finding out the things that I could do, it became more important to focus on the things that I was passionate about and how I could do them,” Bell said.
Even as his physical health continued to deteriorate, Bell didn’t give up. He offered his services as the media consultant to the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, broadcasting live internet streams of its events and promoting the non-profit on its social media platforms.
He also has worked with the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augusta, which is co-sponsored by SAM and “The Maine Sportsman” magazine.
“He’s a really knowledgeable, smart and trustworthy person. He loves the outdoors,” said SAM Executive Director David Trahan. “He’s a genuine human being and that goes a long way.”
Bell was enjoying the new-found responsibilities, but his health was declining. Crippling pain and nerve issues in his neck and lower back were compromising his leg function.
Pain management treatments, which consisted of having a needle inserted into his spine, eventually left Bell temporarily unable to use his right arm. Medical personnel told him there was nothing more they could do for that problem, he said.
He had all but given up hope when a new doctor dug deeper into the case and determined that Bell might be helped by surgery. On Dec. 30, 2022, a procedure to fuse his cervical vertebrae provided him with improved leg function and a new chance at life.
“Living almost 24/7 in pain that would take most people out, to having almost no pain at all, I’m in a much better place now,” Bell said, saying he is still limited in what he can do.
One person has been by his side throughout. Bell’s wife, Sherrie, continues to support him in all his endeavors, even now that he’s busier than ever.
“She’s kept me grounded,” Bell said. “When you’re struggling, you have an awful lot of questions, and she was always there with the answers. She has been my rock.”
Bell continued to seek more ways to make a difference and wound up at the Penobscot County Conservation Association in Brewer. He had first visited the club in 1976 with his father, Gary Jewell Sr., the man who nurtured Bell’s love for the outdoors, to take a hunter safety course.
Bell’s willingness to take on virtually any task, including social media and advertising for the Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show, got him elected to the board of directors. In June, he was named club president.
“His whole approach is, what do you need and how can I do it?” said longtime PCCA member and former president Woody Higgins. “He’s thrown himself into everything he does with great enthusiasm.”
Bell’s first big project with the club was developing an archery program. He had become a certified instructor during the time his own ability to shoot a bow was severely compromised.
He said archery classes are a great way to attract young people to the sport, and potential new members to the PCCA.
Classes have been full since starting a year ago and aspiring archers of all ages have attended. The club recruited and trained instructors from its own ranks.
Bell is proud of what he has accomplished so far, but he is quick to point out that he has been blessed with tremendous support and guidance.
He is indebted in particular to Humphrey, Higgins and Trahan for their guidance, but also appreciates the overwhelming support by people in the organizations he supports.
He plans to continue working on projects such as the Aroostook County White-tailed Deer Collaborative, which he said should be a prototype for future projects to restore deer populations.
Bell’s goals align with the PCCA’s mission, which is to preserve and promote Maine’s outdoor heritage for the future by working with the state’s youths.
“I love the outdoors. I love to get out and hunt and fish,” Bell said. “That is what I hope to have some small part in preserving. That’s where my passion lies.”
