Dear Editor,
This is Rudy “Kissy Bear” Noorlander. You can thank Explore Big Sky’s Hoary Marmot podcast hosts Joe and Michelle for my new nickname.
Since the bear attack on Sept. 8, I have had some ups and downs but that’s just sometimes how life goes. While I was in the hospital early on my family told me of the media response to the attack and asked me if I wanted to go public with the information. It may have been the drugs I was on at the time, but I said yes. It really wasn’t the drugs, I figured that if I can help anyone have a smile on their face, help someone gain perspective on life or help someone that may go through similar surgeries, then it would be worth it. I consider all the misinformation that was out there in the early days due to the fact that I was WUI, “writing under the influence” since I couldn’t talk and had to write everything down on a whiteboard.
After my daughter put up the GoFundMe page the support there has been incredible. I see names on that list of people from my high school days, Navy days and people that I haven’t heard from or seen in years. Some of the people from Big Sky I took care of their houses or condos, some I mowed their laws and some I met during one of my various jobs that I have done since I arrived in Big Sky in 1988. Even the owner of the old Mountain Lodge, my first job in Big Sky, donated.
I just want to publicly thank all of you for your support, encouragement, prayers and donations. I think the aftermath of not knowing when or if I can get back to work, how I am going to pay bills and whether my business will survive this is scarier than the actual bear attack. The bear attack was like any kind of accident, it was over in an instant but felt like it took forever.
I have been back at my house in Bozeman for a while now and as soon as snow gets here, I hope to get back to work. I still have a couple of surgeries to go which will be in April and June hopefully. After those surgeries, if all goes well, I will be able to start eating from my mouth again. After my last visit to Utah in December I passed my swallow test, which clears me to be able to finally drink things down my throat. Granted without much of a bottom lip, I have to use a syringe to get it far enough back in my throat so it doesn’t just all run out. You take for granted all the easy things in life until they are gone. Just the other day I was watching someone drinking out of a bottle and it’s hard that I can’t do that yet. The simple things we all take for granted.
In April they will do another skin graft on my lower lip to try to tighten everything up there. If all goes well there then in June, once swelling has gone down enough, they will work on finishing teeth for my lower jaw.
The main reason that I wanted to reach out and write this letter is to give a BIG Thank You to all those involved in my rescue. From the bottom of my heart “THANK YOU.” I would love to get together with all of you if possible, to thank you in person and meet everyone. I might even recognize a voice or two, who knows.
Sincere Thanks,
Rudy “Kissy Bear” Noorlander
Bozeman, Montana
Read more about Noorlander’s path to a “full recovery.”
