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Ashley Judd has kept her followers up-to-date on how she’s been feeling since her severe leg injury after a serious fall in the Democratic Republic of Congo rainforest. The actress, who endured a grueling 55 hour rescue mission, is luckily doing well, but her rehabilitation process certainly does not look easy.
According to Judd’s latest update, she had to undergo a blood transfusion at Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa before being transported back to America for an intense 8-hour surgery.
Keep reading for more details.
Judd dedicated the first half of her caption to thanking the medical staff at Sunninghill Hospital, and she had nothing but amazing things to say about the people who work there. She wrote, "I want to give my deepest and most vulnerable thanks to Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, for making split second decisions upon my arrival. I arrived to them from DRC in terrible shape and my leg had no pulse. I desperately needed a blood transfusion. Their sisters (nurses) are exemplary, technically top notch, and they cared for the trauma in my body as well as my soul with equal proficiency."
She also had a special note of appreciation for her doctor there. "Dr Greef... was super at stabilizing my leg with the external fixator until the massive soft tissue damage and swelling went down so that I could have the Big Operation. What he did was significant and I am forever in his debt. It must be noted I was being cared for during the Covid B.1.351 strain that is plaguing RSA. Sunninghill is world class and a wonder. Thank you to my trauma surgeon, anesthesiologist, head of nursing, hospital management - everyone."
She also wrote about her father, who made the trek down to South Africa to be with her throughout this scary process. The actress wrote, "My beloved Dad, who had gotten the text no parent ever wants: 'emergency, can’t answer questions, please come now,' had indeed, because he is vaccinated, been able to come to South Africa."
"He has been my rock, companion, resource, helped me listen to so many doctors, critical support system, and kind, loving presence as I have wept and wept. We then made the 22 hour - 4 flights - to America thanks to unbelievably efficient disaster travel insurance on an Air Ambulance," Judd explained.
Once she was back in America, Judd was able to undergo the "Big Operation," an intricate procedure that she is recovering from now.
"In an American hospital, I had to continue to wait for the tissue damage and swelling to reduce. Eventually I was qualified to have the 8-hour surgery to repair the bones, decompress the hemorrhaging nerve and pick the shards of bones out of the nerve. I am now recovering from surgery," the actress wrote.
Although it sounds like recovery may be a long road, Judd sounded in good spirits in the post, assuring fans that although she could not yet move her foot, she is "up and around already."
