Former Disney Star Debby Ryan Opens Up About Suffering 'Life-Altering Brain Injury' And Long Migraine Battle

Actor Debby Ryan, known for Disney’s Suite Life on Deck and Jessie, has revealed that she suffered a “life-altering brain injury a few years ago”. She also opened up about her long “hellish” battle with migraines, calling herself a “migraine warrior.”

Speaking on Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals video series, Ryan opened up about the treatment she underwent and the effects that remain.

Debby Ryan brain injury details

Ryan shared, "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."

She added, "Went and did this fringe science treatment that was like really sci-fi and crazy, and I’ve done it a couple times."

She also said the treatment brought her "back online, but there are some things that just did not come back".

She also described what caused the injury. Ryan said it included "sustained shaking over a minute of time" and left a divide between "pre-incident Debby and post-incident Debby".

The actor linked the injury to earlier head trauma. "Specifically, after the fifth concussion, the brain injury made things significantly worse," she said.

Living with migraines

Ryan said migraines now shape how she processes the world. She explained that "she can see better and think better with my eyes closed" because "the world is really loud and too bright".

"The visual data that 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," she said further.

While speaking about the support around her, she said, "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."