'Bachelorette' Alum Cam Ayala Undergoes Leg Amputation, Shares Recovery Progress
The Bachelorette alum Cam Ayala is opening up about his recovery after undergoing leg amputation surgery.
The 32-year-old took to Instagram and posted a series of photos and videos showing him all smiles as he recovered from losing his right leg. He captioned the post, "Gotta lotta BROMENTUM with @b.rapp." He dubbed himself "CAMputee" with a series of hashtags that included "FAITHoverFEAR."
In one of the videos he posted, Ayala's seen using a walker with the help of his doctors as a friend records the progress. After he walks back into his hospital room, the friend can be heard telling Ayala "good job."
Ayala previously disclosed in a Christmas 2018 Instagram post that he was diagnosed with lymphedema. The Mayo Clinic explains that lymphedema occurs when tissue swells as a result of a build-up of fluid that is usually drained through the body's lymphatic system.
Ayala, who appeared during Hannah Brown's season and earned her "first impression rose," said he was diagnosed with lymphedema back in 2002 but never wanted to make it public "because I never wanted sympathy or for people to feel sorry for me."
"In 2002 I was officially diagnosed with #lymphedema a non-curable condition that is often misdiagnosed and completely understudied by medical professionals across the [world]," he captioned the post. "I was told by dozens of doctors and 'Specialists' that I would never be able to play competitive sports and that I would have to manage this condition for the rest of my life."
Over a decade after the diagnosis, Ayala revealed in the same Instagram post that he suffered an infection in 2014 in his right knee. The infection led to "13 surgical procedures" and that "the only consensus that the doctors came to was....amputation."
At the time, Ayala revealed that thought of losing his leg gave him "crippling fear and anxiety." Ultimately, doctors at Boston Children's Hospital performed a diagnostic procedure that saved his leg from amputation in December 2016. Fast forward to now, Ayala seems to be taking the procedure in stride and seems more than determined to overcome the challenge.
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