Looking on the bright side. Trista Sutter revealed that she has a new sense of gratitude for her family and friends after undergoing surgery for a broken ankle.
The Bachelorette alum, 47, explained on Friday, February 7, that the injury occurred while she was playing tennis with friends and that the timing was particularly inconvenient.
“I had never broken a bone before, but leave it to me (and Murphy’s freaking law) to break my ankle 3 days into not having insurance,” Sutter captioned a selfie via Instagram. “We’re all good thanks to Cobra, but ugh! After 2 sets of X-Rays and an MRI, my Dr determined that I needed surgery to fix a broken tibia, torn ligament and syndesmosis tear. Scary, but life.”
She added that the experience gave her a “newfound appreciation” for people “dealing with injuries or disease, lack of insurance or lack of funds, “as well as single parents who “don’t have the assistance of someone like my hardworking, thoughtful, stepping-up husband and kids.”
The former reality TV star gave an update on her condition two days later with a photo of herself smiling while sitting up in a hospital bed with her bandaged leg.
“Broken ankle and slits for eyes, but a heart SO full of gratitude for the care and generosity of my family and friends that it tends to roll onto my cheeks a lot lately,” Sutter wrote via Instagram. “It shouldn’t have to, but sometimes it takes something drastic (and really freaking painful!) to shine a light on what makes this life worth living…and that’s the people and the connections and the love. I’ve already said it but it can’t be said enough…thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.”
Trista’s husband, Ryan Sutter, posted photos of his wife throughout the recovery process on Instagram. In one photo posted on February 3, the Indiana native is sitting in her wheelchair and holding up the peace sign. In another post on Friday, Ryan, 45, shared pictures of Trista back at home and sleeping in bed.
In an interview with Us Weekly in March 2019, Sutter, who met Ryan on the first season of The Bachelorette in 2003, recalled another health scare she suffered while the couple was on a family vacation with their son Maxwell, 12, and daughter, Blakesley, 10.
Trista suffered a violent seizure while riding on a bus in Croatia, which was also a terrifying moment for her husband and kids.
“He [Ryan] was a firefighter still at the time, and it was horrible I think for him to go through,” Trista said at the time. “The kids, I know, were traumatized by it. If it ever comes up in conversation — ‘What was the worst moment of your life?’ If we’re talking good and bad and whatever — it still comes up. ‘When mommy had a seizure. So it was horrifying.”
Trista continued on that her seizure, which doctors weren’t able to explain, caused her family to realize not to take “being healthy” for granted.
She explained, “We don’t harp on that, but I think it was a good learning lesson overall.”
