“Bachelor” franchise star Joe Amabile, 40, underwent his anticipatory brain surgery on Wednesday, August 5, to remove a brain tumor.
After his surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Amabile’s wife, Serena Pitt, 28, shared a reassuring recovery update on her Instagram Story.
“The best update: they were able to remove the entire tumor and Joe is recovering really well. We’re feeling so grateful 🤍,” Pitt wrote alongside a photo of her holding the reality TV star’s hand.
What Was Joe Amabile Diagnosed With?
In July, Amabile revealed his early-stage glioma diagnosis, where nerve cells in the brain or spinal cord grow at an uncontrollable rate, leading to potential cancer growth, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Amabile previously opened up with Pitt on their “Not Married to This” podcast on July 16 about his decision to undergo surgery at an early stage, explaining that he wanted to prevent rapid tumor growth and reduce likelihood of cancer.
“I’m not one of those people like, ‘Oh, it’s all about mindset.’ But I do believe going into this positive and with a positive mindset and keeping my stress levels low is the best thing I could do for my health in this current moment. I am staying positive. I think it’s great that we caught this early,” Amabile said.
Pitt jumped in to reassure Amabile against any doubt, saying, “They said a few days in the hospital, a few weeks out, and then you’ll be back and better than ever, baby. We hope that you guys take away from this to advocate for yourself, ask questions. You know, health is never something to mess around with.”
Amabile, better known to “Bachelor” fans as “Grocery Store Joe,” noted that when he received his diagnosis following a full-body MRI scan, he admittingly had no anticipation in hearing he had a brain lesion on his frontal lobe — especailly at such a young age.
“Realistically, I just turned 40. I was really thinking it was gonna be like, ‘You have an enlarged prostate.’ I mean, I pee a lot at night, that’s probably what it is,” he said.
Amabile shared that a doctor urged him to seek further care to minimize growth of his blueberry-sized brain lesion. “The doctor was pretty alarming, like, ‘You gotta go get this checked within the next week or two. It’s urgent,’” he stated.
Joe Amabile Gives Brain Surgery Update
GettyFollowing the success of his craniotomy, Amabile updated fans on his recovery in an Instagram post.
“They got it all!” he captioned his 4-photo carousel with photos from his hospital bed.
Fellow celebrities and fans flooded his comments with supportive messages as his healing process began.
“Attaboy!!!!” wrote “Summer House” star Kyle Cooke.
“Dancing with the Stars” professional Alan Bersten, who became close with Amabile when he competed on “DWTS” season 27, penned, “So proud of you. Love you dude.”
And, of course, the official Bachelor Nation Instagram shared their support for Amabile, writing, “The best update! 🥺 ❤️ Sending all our love to you.”
