Debby Ryan appeared on Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals and opened up about a “life-altering brain injury” that changed how she sees the world. The former Disney star, best known for playing Bailey Pickett on The Suite Life on Deck and Jessie Prescott on Jessie, spoke publicly about her struggles with migraines.
Ryan sat down with host Josh Scherer while promoting her new film The Sun Never Sets, which stars Dakota Fanning. During the interview, she discussed her last meal choices and then shifted to her health journey.
The Last Meal That Led To A Health Conversation
The interview began with Ryan choosing her final meal. She picked buffalo chicken dip, a tomato sandwich on shokupan, her grandmother’s lasagna with extra sauce, classic German currywurst, and lime tortilla chips with extra watery salsa.
As she moved through the dishes, the conversation turned to her migraines. Ryan explained that her specific food preferences come from how intensely she experiences the world.
“I’m a migraine warrior, and quite often the world is really loud. It’s really too bright. It’s too, there’s a lot going on,” she said. “Specifically, I would say after the fifth concussion, the brain injuries make things significantly worse.”
Five Concussions And A Sixth Life-Altering Event
Ryan detailed the extent of her brain trauma. She described five previous concussions before a sixth event that she called “life-altering.”
“I had a pretty crazy life-altering brain injury a few years ago, and I was out of commission for six months. And I went to this neurological rehab for six months, went and did this fringe science treatment that was really sci-fi and crazy, and I’ve done it a couple times, and it kind of got me back online, but there are some things that just did not come back,” she revealed.
She added that the fifth injury was different from the first four. “The brain injury that I had was not a blunt. The first four, that wasn’t a joke, unfortunately. Those ones were like an incident. The fifth one was sustained shaking [of] over a minute of time.”
“There’s sort of pre-incident Debby and post-incident Debby, which maybe is how I should have organized my meals.”
A New Debby And A Changed Brain
Ryan framed her recovery as a before-and-after shift. She said the injury created a version of herself that is different from who she was before.
“The brain of it all is that quite often I can just see better or think better with my eyes closed,” she said.
She also reflected on the support system that helped her through the change. “I feel really fortunate that I have an amazing team of people around me who sort of reminded me who I am and was, and also held a lot of space for that to change, potentially permanently, and love me through that.”
The Migraine Warrior’s Daily Struggle
Ryan’s description of living with migraines is direct. She calls herself a “migraine warrior” and describes the world as too bright and too loud.
The injury made those symptoms worse, according to her account. She said the fifth concussion, involving sustained shaking, was distinct from the earlier incidents.
Ryan’s Message Of Gratitude
Ryan’s openness about her migraines and brain injury is notable. She has starred in Netflix’s Insatiable and appeared on The Suite Life on Deck alongside Dylan and Cole Sprouse.
Ryan’s message is one of gratitude and acceptance. She acknowledges the changes the injury brought, but she also credits her support system for helping her through.
Her description of the injury as “life-altering” is consistent with her account. The six-month neurological rehab, the fringe science treatment, and the permanent changes she describes paint a picture of a significant medical event.
Ryan’s framing of “pre-incident Debby and post-incident Debby” suggests she has processed the change. She has accepted that the person she is now is different from who she was before the injury.
Source material: “Debby Ryan Opens Up About ‘Life-Altering Brain Injury’ & Struggles With Migraines,” TV Insider.
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