WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
A Montana hunter who lost his lower jaw in "the most disgusting French kiss of his life" with a grizzly bear showcased his reconstructed face and boundless optimism at a press conference Friday, saying he "will win Round 2" should he and the animal ever meet again.
Rudy Noorlander's jaw and lower lip were reconstructed using his lower leg bone and transplanted skin during a 10-hour surgery on Sept. 28 – he was also fitted with dental implants.
He said it hurts "a little" to speak, and the 61-year-old corresponded with reporters by writing on a white board. He will need ongoing speech therapy, his surgeon, Dr. Hilary McCrary, said at the University of Utah hospital conference.
Noorlander was attacked by a grizzly bear on Sept. 8 while assisting a hunting party track down a deer on the Yellow Mule Trail of the Big Sky Resort, about 55 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.
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A University of Utah Health surgical team performs microvascular anastomosis using an operative microscope during Rudy Noorlander’s free flap surgery in Salt Lake City. (University of Utah Health via AP)
The bear surprised Noorlander, and he was unable to deploy his bear spray. Although he attempted to shoot the animal, per The Associated Press, Noorlander misfired.
Several hours after the attack, a rescue helicopter retrieved the critically injured man, The Associated Press reported. At Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center, staff fashioned an airway through his trachea, allowing him to breathe despite his injuries.
Noorlander was mum when asked for particulars about the attack – he hopes to write the story himself and have Cole Hauser of "Yellowstone" play his character in an adaptation on-screen, according to the AP.
In a GoFundMe initiative toward her father's medical expenses – which has raised over $65,000 as of Monday – daughter Katelynn Noorlander Davis said the group of hunters had rented some of her father's ATVs from his rental company at the resort.
When Noorlander learned the hunters were unable to find their shot deer, she said, he was a "good Samaritan" and "decided to help them search for it."
Davis said her father encountered a dead deer – but not the one hunters had shot.
Noorlander, 61, described the Sept. 8 attack as "the most disgusting French kiss of [his] life," according to a GoFundMe initiative set up by his daughter. (University of Utah Health via AP)
He spotted an adult grizzly bear and pulled out his firearm in hopes of scaring it away. Instead, Davis wrote, her father was ambushed by "a different 10-foot tall and far more aggressive bear."
Noorlander tried to grapple with the bear with his hands as it lunged toward him, his daughter wrote, throwing a punch in an unsuccessful attempt to slow it down.
"The grizzly left a large scratch down his right chest, bit his arms, legs, and to top it all off, gave him as what Rudy describes as the most disgusting French kiss of his life before biting down and tearing off his lower jaw," Davis wrote.
Luckily, the group of hunters was able to scare the attacking animal off.
At the press conference, Noorlander said he was glad that it was him, rather than four older hikers he saw earlier that day, who was attacked.
Davis and Ashley, Noorlander's other daughter, recalled the ups and downs of the five weeks since the life-changing event at the Friday press conference, and read a statement their father had prepared on his behalf.
"I truly feel blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people," Davis read from Noorlander's statement. "I also want to say that the first root beer float is going to taste so amazing and soon I'm going to be a free-range chicken and won't be hooked up to anything."
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Noorlander also received dental implants during his 10-hour procedure. (University of Utah Health via AP)
Noorlander also wrote that he looked forward to reuniting with his beloved Yorkshire terrier, Sully, and possibly attending next month's football game between the Montana Grizzlies and his favorite team, the Montana State Bobcats.
"And he's developed a whole new hatred toward the University of Montana," Davis said, referring to the opposing team's mascot.
The 61-year-old, who rents snowmobiles and ATVs with his equipment rental company Alpine Adventures at Big Sky, also said he looks forward to eventually returning to the outdoors.
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Rescue crews reached Noorlander near Yellow Mule Trail and airlifted him to a hospital in Bozeman, where he was stabilized. (Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue )
Davis also thanked friends and strangers for their love, prayers, support and kindness on her father's behalf.
Noorlander's doctor said she was impressed by his positive attitude and determination throughout his ordeal.
"He was very adamant that he was going to fight this thing and get through it. And at that point, he was still on a ventilator and had a chest tube and lots of lines everywhere," McCrary said.
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It took several hours for Noorlander to be removed from the area via helicopter after the Sept. 8 attack. (Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue )
Asked why he wanted to share this story, Noorlander told reporters that "only by the hands of God am I here."
"Believe it or not, I believe that this attack was an answer to my prayers and that potentially it could help somebody else going through something similar," he said.
Noorlander still has a small wound under his chin that needs to heal, McCrary said, and is working toward being able to eat without risking infection.
"And maybe if he's really lucky, we'll have a root beer float waiting for [him] in [his] room," the surgeon joked.
