Soap Opera Veteran Judi Evans Inspires And Opens Up About Her Accident

It’s been a difficult and painful year for longtime Days of our Lives star Judi Evans but the actress is coming through it with the kind of positivity that should give us all hope.

Judi Evans Inspires

Last December, she lost her only child, Austin, 23, as she suffered a loss no parent should ever have to go through. Months later, in May, the actress decided to engage in self-care and went on a horseback ride that left her feeling invigorated. So, she decided to go again the next day and that is when her life changed again.

Evans was thrown from her horse resulting in a long hospital stay where she also contracted COVID-19. While she had typical respiratory symptoms, she did develop blood clots that nearly resulted in her losing her legs.

This week, Evans spent two days trying to lift us up and stay positive with her signature sense of humor on Twitter, and on Wednesday night, she opened up and told us about what happened the day of her accident and also what it taught her.

“Every day is a struggle sometimes…especially with these trying times…if it’s ok, I’d like to share a story about this year, that I feel has shed some enlightenment for me, something that I think about sometimes when things get really bad…it’s long,” she tweeted before telling her story.

“So the months leading up to my accident were very dark…I didn’t leave the couch, or even shower for days at a time…I was swirling….my husband started encouraging [me] to go back to work with the horses again, I hadn’t been riding since December….so finally I went riding on a Friday…it was an amazing ride…so awesome. One of the only rides I’ve videotaped…it was a great ride. I felt free again, and for the first time in a long time, I had a little peace.

“Encouraged, I went out the next day (I almost always ride alone, gives me a chance to be quiet and listen.)

“Then the accident happened…I was out on a riverbed trail, deep in a kinda canyon…I hit the ground, my whole chest exploded…I could see Roo running back and disappearing. Luckily some wonderful people found me…I couldn’t stand, and was having a hard time breathing…the ambulance couldn’t get to us…I was below the cliffs about a mile away with heavy sand and a river to cross.

“I was going to have to walk to the ambulance…with one wonderful lady holding me up on my right….she got me up, and we started walking…I couldn’t look up or ahead to where we needed to go, if I did I knew I’d never make it…it would have been unsurmountable…so I kept my eyes down, and just kept looking at my feet, one step at a time.

“This wonderful lady kept saying prayers the when way…I kept thinking one more step, one more step. We crossed that river, walked through all that heavy sand, and halfway up that steep hill to safety. Halfway up, a couple of guys who saw our struggle drive down to meet us, and drive me to the ambulance….it was a real-life don’t look at the mountain, just focus on the step by step….and be amazed at the kindness and beauty of strangers who help you along the way…..one step, my brothers and sisters, one step…”

During a year that has been so cruel to so many, Judi Evans, beloved by daytime fans since she played Beth on Guiding Light in 1983, is inspiring and should give us all hope that things can be okay even when they seem at their bleakest. Soap Hub thanks her for that and is thrilled to still have her in Salem and our living rooms after all these years.