Former The Bachelorette contestant Cam Ayala underwent a leg amputation late last week, his most recent social media post revealed.
“Gotta lotta BROMENTUM with @b.rapp #amputee #CAMputee #FAITHoverFEAR,” read the Instagram caption which accompanied the photograph of Cam in a hospital bed at Texas Medical Center, with much of his right leg appearing to have been removed.
Cam has long suffered from a disease known as lymphedema, which was the reason for the procedure, as reported by Page Six. The condition is the result of lymph vessels failing to sufficiently drain the lymph nodes, resulting in a back-up of fluid that causes swelling in the affected region of the body, most commonly the arms or legs.
A Texas native, Cam first appeared on Season 15 of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2019 and featured Hannah Brown (Miss Alabama USA 2018) as the show’s lead for whom all the male contestants competed.
In a recent interview Cam, who also appeared on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise, reflected on the way his diagnosis seemingly affected his ultimate fate as a contestant on The Bachelorette.
“Long story short, it started very well. I got the first rose before the first impression rose, and that had never happened before [on the show],” Cam recalled.
“Honestly when I was out there and getting that first rose, I felt affirmed very quickly,” he continued. “And that honestly was the curse. Because there was a very large target placed on my back [among] the men in the house. And about three weeks into the journey there, I decided to open up to [Hannah] about my chronic disease, called lymphedema . . .
“As I opened up to her, some of the other guys in the mansion felt [it] necessary to approach her after that conversation and basically accuse me of fabricating this medical sob story, so I could get what they referred to as a ‘pity rose.’
“And unfortunately [Hannah] believed the guys’ narrative, and I was sent home that night,” he concluded. I’m thinking Hannah’s feeling pretty terrible about that decision right about now. She most definitely owes Cam a heartfelt apology.
In another of Cam’s recent Instagram posts, shared four days ago, the self-described “dance floor king” appears in a video in which he apparently gets ready for and goes through a “final” day of exercise prior to the amputation.
“LAST time putting ON and taking OFF a FULL [leg emoji] compression sleeve . . . 23 years of Love/Hate,” and “My FINAL workout with my God-give[n] legs [more leg emojis]. #SweatCheck,” reads text overlaid on the footage.
Despite what he’s going through, Cam seems to be retaining his cheerful sense of humor and making the best of things. I hope all of Bachelor Nation will come together to wish him a speedy and healthy rehabilitation and recovery.
TELL US -DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT OR COMFORT FOR CAM AT THIS TIME?
[Photo Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images]
