‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond’s Husband Took Off Neck Brace to Walk Daughter Down the Aisle
Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond's husband, Ladd Drummond, is "halfway healed" after a truck accident that left him with a broken neck in March, but he didn't let that hold him back during their daughter Alex's wedding to Mauricio Scott. He insisted on removing his neck brace before he walked his daughter down the aisle in early May — and his doctor signed off on it.
In an update to her blog on May 5, Drummond says her husband broke his neck in two places during the truck collision with his nephew, Caleb, and while doctors repaired one fracture surgically, the other one "has had to heal over time — and Ladd has had to wear a neck brace 24/7 since returning home from the hospital."
She adds that Ladd has been "pretty compliant" despite the demands of running their ranch, but while he said he would comply with his neurosurgeon, Dr. Kalani, "he was sure hoping the doctor would sign off on" him removing the brace for his part in the ceremony.
"He and I went to Dr. Kalani the Thursday before the wedding for a CT scan and a checkup, and the doctor said that his neck is about halfway healed, and that Ladd could take off his brace for the brief moments at the wedding that mattered. (But only if he put it right back on!), " she writes.
Ladd and Alex's father-daughter dance to Brooks and Dunn's "Cowgirls Don't Cry" went viral, and Ladd was, in fact, neck brace-free in the touching moment.
Ree Drummond says he removed the brace for that moment, as well as for wedding photos, but wore it the rest of the time — and went right back to working on the ranch on Monday, with neck brace in place.
"The wedding was meaningful and special — even more so because it wasn't lost on any of us how different Alex's wedding day could have looked, given Ladd and Caleb's accident in March," she writes. "The fact that they were both able not only to be at Alex's wedding, but to also be pretty much healed and able to enjoy themselves, was a total gift! I made it a point throughout the weekend to stop, even if just for a few seconds, and give thanks. I'm not letting this blessing pass me by, man!"