The Montana grandfather whose jaw was ripped off by a grizzly bear has subsequently spoken out about the ordeal and his recovery.
Rudy Noorlander, 61, was attacked by a bear about 10 feet long in Utah on September 8.
He has since returned to Montana, where he has learned to find light in the frightening moment.
“And don't fight bears unless you have me with you,” he said Fox news.
Noorlander recently underwent extensive jaw and tooth reconstruction surgery after being released from the University of Utah Hospital, where he spent five weeks after the attack.
Rudy Noorlander was attacked by a grizzly bear in Utah in September and is now recovering at home in Montana. He was recently on a podcast episode of Outlaw Partners
To reconstruct his jaw, doctors had to take part of his fibula into his leg, along with skin and an artery to reattach his jaw to his neck. The doctors had to transplant soft skin tissue to his head and neck to reconstruct his lower lip. Noorlander's head is now surrounded by metal wire and mesh as he heals
He has since found a sense of normalcy, still attending regular doctor visits and surgeries to try to get back to who he was before the encounter.
When he was released in early October, Noorlander said he was eager to make the seven-hour trek home to Montana to see his dog and get back to work.
During this time, speaking was exceptionally difficult for Noorlander, as he had to turn to a whiteboard to communicate with those around him.
His speech has since improved when he was recently on a podcast episode of Outlaw Partners and talked about his unique and scary experience.
When asked if he often thinks about the wild moment, Noorlander told the hosts he doesn't think about it that often, but when it first happened he did.
“The second or third week, it was almost PTSD, it woke me up,” Noorlander said.
One of the presenters then asked if he was thinking about going to therapy “to get through it,” to which Noorlander replied, “I'm already through it.”
Just before his attack, Noorlander was helping two hunters look for a deer, and as he searched he came across a small grizzly bear guarding the carcass of a deer, just in front of a large bear, about three meters tall, coming from behind a tree stormed over.
The Madison County dispatch center received a 911 call at 1:47 p.m., according to a news release from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue. Noorlander waited two hours after the attack until he could be safely rescued
Noorlander happily left the University of Utah Hospital in October after spending five weeks there following the attack. He is pictured with his daughters and grandchildren
Without any time to reach for his bear repellent, he tried to shoot the beast but failed.
The grizzly bear then tackled him down, bit off his jaw, scratched his chest and left him with bites on his arms and legs.
“I don't remember much about the actual incident,” Noorlander said. “I remember pointing the gun at him and pulling the trigger – it failed. He had me in the air. He bit the ground and I shouted 'help me!'
The Madison County dispatch center received a 911 call at 1:47 p.m., according to a news release from Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue.
Because the bears were still in the area, the first helicopter to arrive had to wait for support to help keep the creatures at bay.
Noorlander waited two hours after the attack until he could be safely rescued.
He underwent emergency surgery in Montana before being flown to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where surgeons reconstructed his jaw.
To reconstruct his jaw, doctors had to take part of his fibula into his leg, along with skin and an artery to reattach his jaw to his neck. The doctors had to transplant soft skin tissue to his head and neck to reconstruct his lower lip. Noorlander's head is now surrounded by metal wire and mesh as he heals.
Noorlander also suffered a serious scratch to his chest, leaving him with bites up and down his arms and legs, puncture marks on his head and a collapsed lung.
Despite such a traumatic journey, Noorlander is only positive about it.
'Ups and downs. Good days and bad days, but most of them are fair,” said his daughter Ashley.
His grandchildren have adopted his optimistic outlook, as his grandson now considers him a superhero.
While he was still in the hospital, his granddaughter talked about how excited she was to have him home.
His other daughter, KateLynn, created one GoFundMe page to help with hospital costs even though he has Legionnaires' health insurance.
“The Grizzly left a large scratch on his right breast, bit his arms and legs, and to top it all off, gave him what Rudy describes as the most disgusting French kiss of his life, before biting and ripping off his lower jaw,” KateLynn said on the page. ]
Noorlander also suffered a serious scratch to his chest, leaving him with bites up and down his arms and legs, puncture marks on his head and a collapsed lung.
Noorlander prior to the grizzly attack
Despite the attack, Noorlander is now eager to get back outside, as he has already been on a snowmobile
Despite the attack, Noorlander is now eager to get back outside, as he has already gone for a snowmobile ride.
“He's the most positive person I've ever met, but he's a little crazy,” Ashley said.
He still has difficulty eating, speaking clearly, swallowing and brushing his teeth, but he has improved tremendously over the past three months.
His next surgery is scheduled for March and he hopes he can eat solid food afterward.
Noorlander also shared how grateful he is for all the support he has received during his long journey and even created an Instagram account to stay connected with his fans.
“I have my family,” Noolander said. '[The attack] helped me get closer to God, helped me solve some problems. All in all… you can either go up or down, and I choose to go up.
“I know he has a plan for me. There's a reason he kept me here. Personally, I believe the rest of my life is planned because of this – Alpine Adventures has me [during the week] and I plan to do church devotionals, inspirational talks by the church.”