Ashley Judd shared horrifying photographs of her injury as she explained she nearly had to have her leg amputated.
The star posted a lengthy message to social media Wednesday, thanking fans for their support during her recovery, after suffering a serious injury following an accidental fall in the Congo. “That accident in DRC was hellacious to a factor of 10,” she said. “I remain grateful to my siblings there who saved my life and encouraged my spirit as I was carried out of the depths of the second lung of the planet for 67 hours to get medical attention and that first pain medicine.”
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Judd went on to detail the horrific injury she endured, and the toll it took on her body. She posted a graphic image of her leg, showing the severity of the injury, extreme bruising and stitches that were required.
“Every day, I am profoundly grateful for SAG/AFTRA union insurance & my healthcare team. Saved my leg, saved my life,” she said. Judd shared that she also had to contend with illness caused by an exotic, rare parasite, as well as mono, and a slew of other illnesses over the course of her recovery period.
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“Now, I add PT & Functional Strength Trainer Maggie Mullins to that crack team! We are addressing that once-paralyzed nerve and nearly amputated leg in order to add more technical hiking to my abilities: uneven terrain with loose rocks and carrying a big heavy backpack again,” she said.
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Judd expressed how happy she is to be overcoming obstacles that stood before her.
“Being able to load my right knee sideways, power up off my right foot, do sideways agility, reverse lunges on stairs holding uneven weights…miracles, all,” she wrote. The video posted alongside her lengthy caption showed Judd doing a series of exercises to rehabilitate her leg.
She celebrated while explaining the simplest tasks have been significant achievements, since her injury. “And, sit cross-legged! I was not supposed to be able to do that ever again! The balancing is just incredible. She’ll have me pause mid-air and turn my head to each side: ‘Look at the bear!’ And I can do it,” she said.
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“When I had my nerve conduction study in 2021, the Doctor said, ‘I do not know that this foot will ever move again.’ To that dude….watch this,” she said. (RELATED: John Wayne Bobbitt, Who Had Penis Cut Off By Wife 30 Years Ago, Now Has All Toes Amputated)
The 56-year-old star suffered her first major leg injury when she tripped over a fallen tree when a faulty headlamp made it difficult to see the path in front of her, in the Congo, in 2021. She later suffered another leg fracture in 2022 after the death of her mother, Naomi Judd, according to Yahoo.
