Montana man to return home from hospital weeks after grizzly bear bit off lower jaw

A Montana man who used to be mauled by a grizzly bear that bit off the entrance of his lower jaw is in a position to return home after 5 weeks in a Utah hospital, a doctor and his circle of relatives stated Friday all over a news convention.

Rudy Noorlander, who spoke back maximum questions on the University of Utah hospital via writing on a white board, is taking a look ahead to having a root beer drift, reuniting together with his Yorkshire terrier Sully, returning to the outside and perhaps even being ready to attend the competition soccer sport subsequent month between the Montana Grizzlies and his liked Montana State Bobcats.

“And he’s developed a whole new hatred toward the University of Montana,” his daughter Katelynn Noorlander Davis stated, referring to the workforce’s mascot.

Noorlander can discuss in short, nevertheless it hurts “a little,” he stated. He will want speech remedy, his surgeon, Dr. Hilary McCrary stated.

Noorlander did not need to take questions in regards to the assault as a result of he desires to inform the tale himself and write a e-book. And he’d like to have actor Cole Hauser from the “Yellowstone” television series play his character in the movie adaptation.

Noorlander’s adult daughters — Ashley Noorlander and Davis — sat on either side of him during the news conference, recounting the ups and downs of the past five weeks.

Davis read a statement her father wrote, thanking people for the support, love, prayers and kindness he’s received from friends and strangers.

“I truly feel blessed to be surrounded by such amazing people,” Davis stated, studying her father’s commentary. “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.”

The family is hoping he’ll be able to return home on Monday.

Noorlander was attacked by a grizzly bear on Sept. 8 after joining two people to look for a deer they had shot and wounded. The bear came upon him so quickly, he did not have time to deploy bear spray and his gun misfired, according to reports at the time.

The attack happened south of Big Sky, a popular resort area about 55 miles (90 kilometers) north of Yellowstone National Park, where Noorlander has a business renting out all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles. It took several hours for him to be removed from the area via helicopter. He was taken to the hospital in Bozeman, where he underwent a tracheostomy to create an airway through his trachea, McCrary said. Then he was flown to the hospital in Utah.

Noorlander’s jaw and lower lip were reconstructed during a 10-hour operation on Sept. 28 using a portion of his lower leg bone and transplanted skin, said McCrary. He also got dental implants during that surgery.

McCrary said she was amazed by Noorlander’s determination to recover when she met him the day after the attack.

“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.

Noorlander wrote that his family and life motivated him to keep fighting and, showing his sense of humor, added “I will win Round 2,” with the bear.

Noorlander used to be requested why he sought after to percentage his tale.

“Only by the hands of God am I here,” Noorlander wrote. “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 stated he used to be additionally happy it used to be him that used to be attacked, slightly than 4 older hikers he noticed at the similar path that day.

Noorlander nonetheless has a small wound beneath his chin that can want to heal and medical doctors are running on getting him in a position to devour with out risking an infection, McCrary stated.

“And maybe if he’s really lucky, we’ll have a root beer float waiting for you in the room,” she informed Noorlander.