Ashley Judd diagnosed with 'sleep disorder' after long health battle
Ashley Judd has been diagnosed with a "sleepiness sleep disorder" amid her brutal health battle.
Ashley Judd has been diagnosed with a "sleepiness sleep disorder" after a long health battle.
The 56-year-old actress has opened up on the intensive recovery she's undergone after fracturing her leg in a "freak accident" just after her mother's death in 2022, which followed a similarly devastating accident during a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo the previous year.
In a lengthy Instagram post, she wrote: "It's been a long journey to full recovery:
"I have had a parasite (gone now, and featured, thank you, in the New England Journal of Medicine, so exotic was it), mono, big weight gain, and now loss, finally a diagnosis of a sleepiness sleep disorder (I now know why I always napped over lunch on movie sets!), and more!"
She thanked her "awesome" fans for "cheering her on" during such a difficult time, while her siblings have also been a rock of support.
She said: "Y'all are so awesome for cheering me on, and I notice how often you ask about my leg and foot recovery.
"That accident in DRC was hellacious to a factor of 10.
"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."
She also admitted she was "profoundly grateful" for the insurance she has through the SAG/Aftra union, as well as her "healthcare team".
She added: "Saved my leg, saved my life."
In a video alongside the post, Ashley explained how the first accident left her with "a Schatzker V tibial plateau fracture" and a paralyzed right foot, while she her leg "had no pulse" and she was "haemorrhaging".
She thought her foot would never move again, but she can now do a range of exercises on both feet.
She wrote: "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.
"I am realistic, so of course, I feel a little intimidated by Yellowstone National Park. And, I am enthralled by Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone, I am excited to meet you!"
