Reality TV star Ryan Sutter, 51, who won the first-ever season of “The Bachelorette,” going on to marry Trista Rehn-Sutter in 2003, shed light on the condition of his Lyme disease and how it has impacted his life perspective, making him more empathetic toward others and their suffering.
Sutter, who was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2021, opened up in an interview with People that although he experiences days with debilitating symptoms, he tries his best to remain positive.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Lyme disease is an infection that “can lead to complications that affect your nervous system, heart and joints.” Late-stage symptoms can even cause “damage to several nerves, like those in your skin, muscles and organs.”
Ryan Sutter Explains How He Manages His Lyme Disease
“I’m at a pretty good place. I think the majority of my days are good, with a few bad ones sprinkled in there,” he shared
“I’ve kind of learned how to handle those. If I pay close enough attention, I can feel the onset of things coming on, and then I’ll just make sure I don’t overdo it or overexert myself, or make sure I’m hydrated and taking all the supplements I’m supposed to take and all that sort of stuff,” Sutter added. “I just pay closer attention.”
Sutter shared that the progression of his illness has been manageable, noting that his symptoms aren’t nearly as bad as they were when he was first diagnosed. “As long as I can keep going, moving forward, I feel like that keeps it at bay. But compared to when I first got diagnosed, it’s like night and day,” he said. “So if I refer back to that time, I’m always like, I’ll take this a hundred times out of a hundred. It’s way better than what it used to be.”
Ryan Sutter Says His Suffering Has Made Him More Empathetic
Sutter went on to explain how the depth of his pain has made him aware of why people experience negative thoughts and feelings when they are faced with an incontrollable situation. The reality TV star emphasized that his suffering has profoundly awoken his ability to care for people he doesn’t even know.
Sutter said he now understands “that [chronically ill] people get to this level of frustration where they just feel like they’re going to feel like this for the rest of their lives or be a burden on everybody that they’re around.”
“You think, ‘I don’t know what my purpose in life is,’ and if there is no purpose to it, if it’s just getting up every day and feeling like this,” he continued. “It really hurts me to think that so many people are in that kind of pain and don’t think they’ll ever get out of it.”
Ryan and Trista are a beautiful couple with darling children. My favorite bachelorette of all time. Ryan thank you for describing my life. You are a wonderful person who wants to help others. Difference is I’m a young 82 and had a wonderfully healthy life. This aging after a very active life, makes me sad. It’s tough to have friends understand my withdrawal from some activities. Thank you Ryan, you are an inspiration to everyone!