Ashley Judd is on her way to recovery.
On Monday, the actress took to Instagram where she outlined her “grueling 55 hours” rescue after crushing her leg.
The 52-year-old retrieved it from the jungle in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where she stumbled over a fallen tree. Judd was flown to Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa for surgery.
Yahoo! Entertainment previously reported that the actress ‘Double Jeopardy’ travels to the Congo about twice a year because her ‘partner’ runs a research camp there. In the US, she is known for outdoor camps.
ASHLEY JUDD SHARES PHOTOS OF ‘GRUELING 55 HOUR’ ACCIDENT RESCUE: ‘I WAKE UP IN GRATITUDE’
Ashley Judd broke her leg in four places and suffered nerve damage in a fall.
(Photo by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
“I came to them from DRC in a terrible shape and my leg had no pulse,” Judd wrote. “I desperately needed a blood transfusion. Their sisters (nurses) are exemplary, technically off the top shelves, and they handled the trauma in my body as well as my soul with the same skill.”
According to the star, her surgeon, Dr Eugene Greeff, was ‘super keen on stabilizing my leg with the external fixator until the massive soft tissue damage and swelling subsided so I could undergo the major surgery.’
“What he did was important and I am in his debt forever,” Judd added.
Judd noted that hospitals in South Africa are dealing with the COVID B.1.351 strain, which is recognized as a new, faster-spreading variant of the coronavirus. Her father, Michael Ciminella, had already received his vaccine for COVID-19 and was able to fly to Johannesburg.
ASHLEY JUDD IN ICU After breaking her leg in Africa
Ashley Judd outlined her painful experience on Instagram.
(Photo by Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
“My beloved father, who received the text that no parent ever wants: ‘distress, can not answer questions, please come now,’ could indeed, because he has been vaccinated, come to South Africa,” she wrote . “He was my rock, companion, resource, and helped me listen to so many doctors, a critical support system and friendly, loving presence while I cried and cried. We made it through the 22 hours – four flights – to America. Incredibly effective disaster travel insurance on an air ambulance. ‘
Judd said she first had to wait in a U.S. hospital until the tissue damage and swelling diminished.
“Eventually I was qualified to undergo an 8-hour operation to repair the bones, decompress the bleeding from the nerve and pluck the shredded bones from the nerve,” she revealed. “I am now recovering from the operation.”
Judd also took the time to thank her entire care team during the horrific ordeal.
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“I am very grateful to all the experts, including … my Pop, who rubs my foot to remind my foot while still unable to move that it is attached to my body,” she wrote. “I’m up and about. Thank you for your care and kind words. Let us always remember those without assurance. Let us remember those who have no choice. Let us remember those who are lonely and afraid.”
Judd had earlier said she would “walk again” but did not have a “time frame” for recovery.
Fox News’ Nate Day Contributed to This Report