Ashley Park Says It’s a 'Miracle' She Recovered from Septic Shock: 'I Pushed Myself Too Far'
“No one who’s my age should have septic shock,” the actress noted
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Ashley Park for 'Cosmopolitan'Ashley Park is feeling lucky that she was able to recover from her health scare earlier this year.
In her cover story for the Fall 2024 issue of Cosmopolitan, the Emily in Paris star recalled the moment she was hospitalized and in the intensive care unit for critical septic shock. The medical emergency happened in January while the 33-year-old was on vacation with her boyfriend and costar Paul Forman.
“When I went to the ER and ICU for the first time, I was in the Maldives with Paul. I don’t think I would’ve made it without him. Everybody else was on the other side of the world from us,” she told the outlet. “Once I got there, I got really sick with tonsillitis. Then everything really started going wrong. I was in different ICUs and then air ambulances for a month. I couldn’t leave because I wasn’t allowed to fly. When I finally could, it was a shorter distance to Paris than to L.A., so I had to go straight to Paris to recover, not home.”
“When I woke up in the hospital and they said, ‘You have septic shock,' " she recalled responding, "I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I am shocked I have sepsis!’ ”
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Septic shock is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when an infection in the body causes extremely low blood pressure and organ failure due to sepsis, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Park — who was also diagnosed with cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, when she was 15 — said that comedy and joking about her health battle just “makes it easier” for her to cope.
“As an adult, I understand what coping mechanisms are. Stuff I didn’t know when I was a teenager,” she said. “And even though both of the extreme illnesses I’ve had have been such flukes in a way — no one who’s 15 should have cancer, and no one who’s my age should have septic shock — I feel lucky, actually. It’s been kind of a miracle how I’ve recovered.”
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Ashley Park for 'Cosmopolitan'The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
The actress noted that her battle with septic shock definitely came with a life lesson, and she’s hoping to be more mindful of her well-being moving forward.
“I pushed myself too far,” she admitted. “I was not listening to my body. Now, I’m thinking about my future and asking, ‘Am I putting myself in a position where I’m going to be able to do my best?’ That starts with my health. I’m getting back to my old self. I look and feel better, and I’m trying to stay as stable as I can and keep the same energy that people expect.”
Shortly after recovering, Park jumped into filming season 4 of Emily in Paris, despite not feeling her best.
“It really was just about survival for me,” she said. “I can’t remember anything because I was not well. But one thing I’ll give myself credit for is, I don’t think I’m the most talented, prettiest, any of those things. But I do the best I can, and that work ethic always means a lot. I think I’m super resilient.”
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