Brad Paisley‘s wife, actor Kimberly Williams-Paisley, turned to social media on Saturday (Aug. 17) to share that she’d undergone surgery to address a health problem that’s been plaguing her for nearly two years.
The Father of the Bride star reveals that she lost her voice while on stage at her annual Alzheimer’s fundraiser in Nashville, almost two years ago.
“It was embarrassing & scary & it never quite came back,” she writes. “It’s been a challenging couple of years, but we finally got to the bottom of it. I have damage to my laryngeal nerve.”
Williams-Paisley finally had surgery this week at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and “it is sounding so much better!!” she writes, adding that as a bonus, “I have a badass scar that’s smiling at me across my neck.”
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“I haven’t wanted to share about this much until now because it felt too vulnerable,” she admits, adding that she “took for granted” how she could use her voice in her job, for causes she believed in and more. She’s become used to being quiet, leading people to believe she’s “a shy or reserved person. I’ve felt trapped in my body.”
Williams-Paisley says she’s experienced “shame and self-loathing” and a myriad of other emotions, but ultimately, she’s “feeling SO GRATEFUL” for the many helpers she’s met along her journey. She underwent a “laryngoplasty to plump up my paralyzed vocal cord so it hits the other one,” marveling, “MODERN MEDICINE IS MIRACULOUS.”
She’s also taken some time to work on herself in other important ways.
“I’ve healed old emotional wounds. I’ve learned the strength & beauty of silence,” she writes. “I’ve become a serious meditator. I’m deadlifting over a hundred pounds. I’m taking better care of my body. I’m managing stress. I’m dissolving shame. I’m feeling more whole, empowered & joyful.”
Williams-Paisley shared pictures from the hospital, including one of her scar that her brother embellished with a hilarious cartoon. See her complete message and those pictures below:
Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker