Bear attack survivor laughs, speaks out after completing jaw reconstruction treatment

SALT LAKE CITY — After several surgeries, a year without teeth and a magnetic chin prosthesis, Rudy Noorlander is celebrating his recovery from a near-deadly bear attack.

Noorlander is a longtime outdoorsman and the owner of a small off-road vehicle rental business in Big Sky, Montana. On Sept. 8, 2023, he was helping a father and son hunting duo who rented from his business locate a deer they shot. While searching the woods, he stepped over a log and looked up to see an aggressive, 10-foot-tall grizzly charging toward him.

While Noorlander had bear spray on his belt and was carrying a firearm at the time to protect himself, the bear’s proximity gave him little time to react. He shot at the bear, but his gun misfired. The bear clawed Noorlander’s side before latching onto his jaw and biting down. He remembers hearing a crack before the bear tore off his mandible and bit him on the arm and leg.

The hunters nearby witnessed the attack and were able to scare the bear off before calling for rescue services.

“I’ve told people that I was glad that I was there, that I’m glad that it happened to me,” said Noorlander. “Because if I hadn’t been there, the father would have been the closest for the bear, who would attack the father. I just don’t know if the son would have been enough to chase the bear away.”

Still conscious after the attack, Noorlander waited for two hours before being flown into a medical center in Bozeman, Montana, where he received emergency medical care. He was then flown to University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he underwent three complex surgeries, including the hospital’s first-ever “jaw in a day” surgery.

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The “jaw in a day” surgery method is typically used on patients who need to remove a portion of their bone due to cancer. In Noorlander’s case, it required surgeons to remove bone from the fibular free flap in his left leg to reconstruct his mandible, and skin from his leg and forearm to create his chin and lower lip. Segments of bone were molded to create Noorlander’s jaw shape, then pre-drilled with holes for dental implantation to replace his teeth.

“Who knew we had spare parts?” joked Noorlander at a press conference on Friday. “I thought it was amazing that they would be able to do something like (this surgery).”

Surgeons worked with multidisciplinary medical professionals to accomplish the surgery and create a virtual surgical plan to customize it to Noorlander’s needs. This virtual tool was used rarely at the University of Utah Hospital prior to treating Noorlander but has become more common since its success, according to Richard Cannon, one of the hospital’s head and neck surgeons who worked on the surgery.

“It’s really cool, at this point of almost two years later now, looking back on what we’ve done since then,” said Cannon. “We’ve really taken this situation with Rudy and have been able to build this team. Now, we’ve probably done 30 or 40 similar cases like his since. … Rudy, in a lot of ways, was kind of the pioneer for this new technique coming from our institution.”

While Noorlander’s jaw was built in a day, his recovery process continued for over a year after the complex surgery. He had to practice swallowing again due to his damaged larynx and learn to speak with his new jaw. He had another surgery in April 2024, called a vestibuloplasty, to thin the skin from the first surgery to make it more similar to the moist, protective lining inside the mouth. Months later, he had titanium bars and abutments added into his jaw so he could attach prosthetic teeth to his dental implants, giving him teeth for the first time after a year.

Noorlander also received a chin prosthesis in January, the final step in his treatment. The prosthetic piece is a silicone mold of his chin and bottom lip, painted to match his skin tone, that magnetizes to the titanium bars in his chin. It is even complete with small strands of silicone imitating and blending in with his facial hair. While it helps disguise his reconstructed jaw, the prosthesis is mainly meant to help him eat, drink and speak better since he now how the use of a bottom lip again.

“His recovery is really remarkable,” said Paul Tanner, the University of Utah Health anaplastologist who created his facial prosthetic. “What’s amazing about him is he has such a positive attitude. He’s always willing to share his story, and I think that positive attitude goes a long way.”

Throughout his recovery, medical support staff and family have praised Noorlander for being exceptionally positive. He attributes his bright outlook to the love he has for his job in the great outdoors and to his faith.

“(The attack) was actually an answer to my prayer that I’d been praying for a few years,” said Noorlander. “I’d been praying to Heavenly Father for help (with my business) and … me being me, I was expecting to win the lottery or sweepstakes, not get attacked by a bear.”

Noorlander had been struggling to keep his business afloat for years prior to the attack. Now, as he adjusts to life as a survivor, he believes the attack and his subsequent recovery have been instrumental in helping him grow spiritually. He believes God will help his business persevere as he shares his experience to uplift others.

“I believe everything is for a reason. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s there to teach you a lesson, to open your eyes and make you a better person,” said Noorlander.

Noorlander also says he chose to speak out about his story because he is grateful for the care he received while at University of Utah Hospital. He recalls nurses who made him sign language cards so he could communicate, since his injury prevented him from being able to speak before his jaw was replaced.

He also would have trouble sleeping for more than an hour at a time because he would feel like he was choking on his blood and saliva in most positions. Then, another staff member found him a specialized pillow that let him sleep through the night for the first time since the accident.

“I really appreciate everybody. I know I had a lot of nurses and aides that went above the call of duty,” said Noorlander, addressing his care team. “I really appreciate all the smiles. To all those I gave a little scare by playing dead when they came to my room to check my vitals, I’m sorry.”