Bear attack survivor talking, laughing again months after grizzly’s ‘French kiss’ tore off jaw

Seven months ago, Rudy Noorlander received what he describes as the most disgusting “French kiss” ever — from a 10-foot-tall grizzly bear.

Noorlander was attacked during a Sept. 8 excursion in Big Sky, Montana, confronted while helping a group of customers from his all-terrain vehicle business track a deer.

The massive grizzly sliced a large scratch down his chest, bit his arms and legs, and tore off his lower jaw, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by his daughter KateLynn Davis to help with medical expenses.

In the wake of the attack, Noorlander was first rushed by medical helicopter to Bozeman, Montana, then flown to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. There, he received four surgeries in five weeks — including what medical professionals call a “jaw in a day” reconstruction.

This week, Noorlander received his fifth surgery, reuniting with members of his care team who hadn’t seen him since the weeks after his September attack, according to a news release from the hospital.

In most cases, care teams aren’t updated on the status of their patients. But on Tuesday, staff in the emergency department, surgical intensive care unit and acute care were all able to see Noorlander’s progress for themselves.

“We see you at your worst; we don’t oftentimes get to see you like this,” said Dr. Toby Enniss, trauma medical director at University of Utah Health. “It means a lot to see as you get further along in your recovery and [your] quality of life is improving.”

Doctors recalled that despite the traumatic circumstances of Noorlander’s hospital stay, he was quite the jokester. Unable to speak, he used a dry-erase board to communicate with his care team — and most messages were just wisecracks.

On Tuesday, Noorlander joked around with his own voice, bringing laughter and pride to many of his former doctors and nurses in a T-shirt that read: “The legend has officially retired. If you want to talk you’ll be charged a consulting fee.”

Although he’s speaking again, Noorlander has only recently been able to transition to soft foods — like mashed potatoes at Texas Roadhouse, he told one nurse. But he is looking forward to getting new teeth in June that would allow him to “fully eat again,” according to his GoFundMe page.

“I’ll never forget him describing it as the worst French kiss that he ever had, and then telling me that this was all just a blessing in disguise,” said Nellie Webb, one of the first nurses who cared for Noorlander when he was transferred to the University of Utah hospital.

“I don’t know many people who can go through something so scary and so hard, and have that amazing and positive outlook,” Webb continued. “To actually know that someone is doing so well and is thriving is so special, because it gives us more purpose to showing up here and knowing that we’re doing something that matters.”

Noorlander grew emotional seeing his care team again. But he said his visit was to make sure they knew he appreciates everything they did for him in the weeks after his attack.

“It makes you feel good about yourself, and that you’re doing what you need to do and acting like you need to act,” Noorlander said. “I was just trying to be as positive as I could, and look to the bright side.”