Ashley Judd is celebrating her “stunning recovery” as she marks two and half years since she shattered her leg in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In February 2021, the actress suffered a horrific injury after she tripped over a fallen tree while walking through a rainforest in the African country.
On Saturday, Judd, 55, shared photos in which she was seen hiking the Alps while on a trip to Switzerland.
“Walking. Switzerland. After 5 breaks in right leg, a paralyzed foot, possible amputation, all while hemorrhaging, my leg and I have come far in 2.5 years since my accident in Democratic Republic of Congo,” the “Double Jeopardy” star wrote in the caption.
She continued, “We came far up these Alps, for the sheer joy of it, confidently. Ongoing gratitude of profound proportions to the Congolese who saved me, and the surgeons, neurologist, and physical therapist who set me up for this stunning recovery.”
“How are you celebrating your blessings?”
The slideshow that Judd posted featured images of the blue sky, a waterfall, a butterfly and scenic views of the mountain range.
In one of the photos, the California native was seen from behind as she walked along a trail with trekking poles.
Judd was pictured beaming as she stood at the base of a waterfall in another snap. The Emmy Award nominee was seen sitting in front of a traditional alpine stone cabin in another photo.
Judd previously detailed her “grueling 55-hour” after the injury, which landed her in the ICU. The actress was flown to Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa for surgery.
“I arrived to them from DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] in terrible shape and my leg had no pulse,” Judd wrote. “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.”
The star was eventually flown to an American hospital where she underwent an 8-hour operation to repair her shattered leg. Judd spent months in intense physical therapy in order to be able to walk again.
Five months after her accident, Judd shared photos of herself hiking at Swiss National Park and thanked the people who aided her in her recovery.
“My leg will never be the same,” Judd wrote. “She is a new leg. And I love her. We are buddies. We have a come a long way and we have a fabulous life ahead. I have been loved and understood and helped in my healing.”
In January 2022, Judd completed a 25-mile hike to mark the 11-month anniversary of her accident.
Last October, Judd revealed that she had suffered another leg injury over the summer, which she said was due to grief-associated clumsiness after the death of her mother.
During a conversation series in association with UCLA’s Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Judd recalled the “freak accident” fractured her femoral condyle near the knee last summer just months after her mom Naomi Judd, 76, died by suicide, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Judd has said she was the one who found her mother on April 30, 2022 at the country music star’s Tennessee home.
The actress said her more recent leg injury was not serious and healed in “two months, lickety-split” and actually made her pause to grieve.
“It was what it was,” she said. “Clumsiness is associated with grief, and there were other people in our family, after mom died, who fell down stairs and had accidents, and that’s just what mine happened to look like. It really allowed me to grieve. It really allowed me to stop what I was working on at that moment and to grieve.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
