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Debby Ryan, the former Disney Channel star who broke out on the network’s “Suite Life on Deck” before fronting her own series “Jessie,” revealed during an interview on “Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals” (via People) that
she suffered a “life-altering brain injury a few years ago” after a long history of battling migraines. The brain injury included “sustained shaking over a minute of time” and resulted in “pre-incident Debby and post-incident Debby,” the actor said.
“I had a pretty crazy life-altering brain injury a few years ago, and I was out of commission for like six months, and I went to this neurological rehab for like six months,” Ryan revealed, noting her symptoms continued to worsen until she tried a “fringe science treatment” to help get her “back online but there are some things that just did not come back.”
The brain injury occurred after years spent dealing with “hellish” migraines. Ryan referred to herself as a “migraine warrior,” adding: “Quite often the world is really loud and too bright. A lot is going on. After the fifth concussion, the brain injury made things significantly worse.”
“Quite often I can see better and think better with my eyes closed,” she continued about her condition. “The visual data I am taking in can be so distracting and so loud. The migraines were significantly worsened by that. If there is a thing that can make things really singular, I like that. 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.”
Ryan rose debuted as Bailey Pickett on “The Suite Life on Deck” in 2008 alongside headliners Dylan and Cole Sprouse. She then fronted her own Disney Channel series, “Jessie,” in 2011 opposite Peyton List and Cameron Boyce. The show ran for four seasons and 98 episodes between 2011 and 2015.
