Gabrielle Henry is giving her fans an in-depth look at what her recovery process has been like since she fell off the Miss Universe stage nearly a year ago and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Thankfully, things are looking up for the former Miss Jamaica winner.
Henry recently shared the information in a lengthy carousel on Instagram detailing how her body has healed, the meals she’s been eating during her recovery, and the hobbies she’s picked up to help keep her sharp.
“Recovery has been one of the most unpredictable periods of my life, but here are some things that I have been doing to manage the journey,” she wrote in part. “It is difficult to describe what going through this injury has been like. It almost feels as though I’ve had an out-of-body experience and returned to a body that isn’t my own. Recovery has been a difficult journey filled with ups and downs and lots of disappointment. But I am most grateful for my support system and the genuine souls who have surrounded me with grace.”
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Henry went on to share pictures of scars on her chest and chin as well as a few meals and beverages that she credits with helping her restore her health and strengthen her neuroplasticity. Some of those foods included green beans, eggs, ground beef, zucchini, more vegetables, and her favorite snack – Greek yogurt and fruit. She also regularly drinks turmeric tea with cinnamon and black pepper for its anti-inflammatory properties.
During her downtime, Henry also shared that she was able to get back into reading, a hobby she admittedly didn’t have much time for due to her duties as Miss Universe Jamaica and her demanding doctor’s schedule. But over the last 10 months of her recovery, she was able to reconnect with her love of reading novels and tapped back into the 1990 book “Brain Building: Exercising Yourself Smarter” by Marilyn Vos Savant.
“This period of recovery really called for me to slow down and breathe, avoiding stressors and just focusing on the here and now. And that involved taking up a few novels, which were gathering dust on my bookshelf, and finally reading them from front to back,” Henry said.
She continued: “It was in my exploration that I was fortunate to come across this book [‘Brain Building’] and become more intentional about doing active exercises to help with my recollection and retention of information. An oldie but goodie, and I’m so grateful to have a book that I can touch and smell. It makes the experience so much more authentic.”
Henry also shared that while she took time to get better in Jamaica and her prognosis looked more positive, she had to deal with the sudden death of her uncle. Still, being back in her birthplace “grounded” her and helped her to refocus on rest, self-care and genuine connections with friends and family. As a result, she learned that recovery looks different for everyone and that the best thing to do is to take care of our bodies while we have the time and ability to do so.
“At the end of the day, I’ve learned that recovery doesn’t look the same for any two people. It requires us to be patient, exhibit self-compassion, and honor the body we’ve been placed in to live our lives out here on Earth,” she said.
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