Rhianna Benson
After a stray bullet lodged itself behind her eye in a freak accident earlier this month, Christy Carlson Romano has issued a health update.
The US actress was rushed to hospital, whilst on a date at a Texas clay shooting range on 8 February, after another group attending accidentally fired several rounds directly in her face.
Romano broke the news of the incident on Instagram in the days that followed, revealing that her husband's birthday celebrations took a dark turn when a member of another party 'unsafely fired in the wrong direction' and 'shot me in the face'.
In her initial video (posted 12 Feb), the Disney Channel alum gave her followers a gory insight into her injuries, showing a wound beneath her eye with some surrounding bruising.
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The 40-year-old TV star revealed at the time that one of the bullets was 'still inside' her eye and had been deemed 'too risky' to remove.
She added that going under the knife could 'leave me blind', and revealed that other areas of her face also contained 'fragments'.
"I should fully recover with no issues at all, though I may never be able to get an MRI again," Romano continued. "I’m very grateful to first responders as a whole.
"I mean, they’re just the most amazing, superhero people to take care of us at our most desperate times."
The actress continued: "This is really bad tonight. Everything’s kind of clearing out, but I got to say I got shot in the face and lived to tell the tale', before encouraging her fans: "Be grateful for every day."
The following day, the ex-Even Stevens star provided her 757,000 followers with a second update, revealing that doctors had later ruled that she suffered a concussion from the impact of the shots fired the week prior.
"1 accident, 2 miracles," she penned in the caption. "Dr. Chris Schneider said when the fragment that struck my head hit, it gave me a concussion (explains why I was so woozy).
"Looks like it’s deep enough into my skull where I can’t remove it, but it also won’t move on its own."
In the post, Romano also revealed that one of the bullets had struck her cheek bone, preventing it from reaching her brain.
And on Valentine's Day (14 Feb), the star shared her most recent update, reflecting on the emotional turbulence triggered by the incident.
Taking to her Instagram Story (as per ABC News), she explained in another video: "I had to make a really big decision as to whether or not I wanted to share this.
"The reason why I decided to share it was because I didn’t want to run from it... I want to move on from it and use it as a source of growth and stronger faith."
Romano also issued an important message about safety when using a firearm.
"By sharing this, it could help people. It can remind people about pew, pew safety," she penned, adding, "Just remember, never give up even on your hardest days."