Ashley Judd is sharing images and video from a painful ordeal that almost cost her leg after she tripped in a Congolese rainforest.
The actor was injured when she and researchers were walking through a rainforest in the dark looking for bonobos when she tripped over a log, shattering her tibia.
In an Instagram post, Judd shared images of her rescue and thanked the many people who helped her.
"Without my Congolese brothers and sisters, my internal bleeding would have likely killed me, and I would have lost my leg. 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," Judd wrote.
She shared images of her being carried out of the jungle, then riding a motorbike for nearly 6 hours to get care.
"Papa Jean: it took 5 hours, but eventually he found me, wretched and wild on the ground, and calmly assessed my broken leg. He told me what he had to do. I bit a stick. I held onto Maud. And Papa Jean, with certainty began to manipulate and adjust my broken bones back into something like a position I could be transported in, while I screamed and writhed. How he did that so methodically while I was like an animal is beyond me. He saved me," Judd wrote.
Judd makes trips to Africa frequently, and partners with The Bonobo Conservation Initiative.
The international organization shared images from Judd's rescue.
@AshleyJudd is a longtime friend & supporter of BCI, & we are so grateful for all she's done on behalf of bonobos. After suffering a broken leg in Kokolopori, she is now receiving care in a South African hospital. We wish Ashley a very speedy & thorough recovery! Bon guérison! pic.twitter.com/G8UfKVf4qV
— BCI (@Bonobodotorg) February 13, 2021
Judd says her leg is broken in multiple places and she will remain bedridden until it becomes stronger.
