Nearly six months ago Ashley Judd, actress and daughter of country music legend Naomi Judd, shattered her leg in four places after falling while hiking in the Congolese rain forest. But, now Judd is back on her feet again and walking after surgeries and extensive therapy.
On Sunday (August 1), Ashley Judd updated her fans on her recovery with a series of videos and photos posted to social media. In the clips, Judd is seen walking in the Swiss National Park unassisted, a feat that left her in “reverence and quiet awe.”
“I walked again, and in what fashion,” Judd captioned her post. “Stepping in, I felt in my ease, my natural garment of self, at home in my spirit. My leg and foot, worked beautifully.”
She added, “I walked up hill on uneven surfaces for an hour confidently and came down carefully and easily. I rested in a meadow on God’s fecund earth for hours…This is the road ahead. But I am up to the daily tasks, as I am even carrying firewood into our Alpine hut!”
Judd went on to thank those who helped her reach this incredible milestone including her surgeon, physical therapist, fans and family, before acknowledging that her leg will never be what it was prior to the accident.
“My leg will never be the same. 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,” she wrote.
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In February, Judd was researching endangered bonobo apes deep in the Republic of Congo rainforest when she tripped over a fallen tree and seriously injured her right leg. The actress shared details of the accident including photos from her 55-hour trek out of the rainforest and 8-hour surgery in a South African hospital.
“Friends. Without my Congolese brothers and sisters, my internal bleeding would have likely killed me, and I would have lost my leg,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “I wake up weeping in gratitude, deeply moved by each person who contributed something life giving and spirit salving during my grueling 55 hour odyssey.”