Bachelor in Paradise star Joe Amabile, 40, has returned home to recover after undergoing brain surgery last week to remove a blueberry-sized tumor. Doctors performed a craniotomy at NYU Langone Health to remove the glioma, which was first discovered during a full-body scan earlier this summer.
His wife, Serena Pitt, 28, shared candid recovery photos on social media and confirmed that medical staff successfully removed the entire mass. "A few peaceful moments from the hospital," Pitt wrote. "Incredibly grateful to the team at NYU Langone Health for their endless patience, care, compassion, and kindness these past few days. Joe is home recovering, and we’re so grateful to have been in such good hands."
The former grocery store owner also shared updates directly with fans from his hospital bed while wearing a head bandage. "They got it all!" Amabile captioned photos that showed him grinning in bed, giving a peace sign from a chair, and holding hands with Pitt. Pitt shared another photo showing the couple leaving the hospital together.
Discovery of the brain lesion
Amabile explained on Instagram that the tumor was found after he took a Prenuvo full-body scan earlier in the season. "So a little medical update," Amabile told followers. "I didn’t share my Prenuvo results because they ended up finding a lesion in my brain. So then I had to go get a brain MRI, and there was a blueberry-sized lesion in my brain that looks to be a glioma, which is a tumor."
He described his initial reaction to the diagnosis before undergoing the procedure at Memorial Sloan Kettering. "So I now need to get brain surgery [in two weeks] to get it removed and get it tested, and then we’re gonna go from there," he said. "So it’s been a wild couple weeks. Definitely wasn’t expecting this."
Amabile acknowledged how surreal the news felt when doctors first delivered the diagnosis. "I think it’s one of those things where you’re like, 'Oh, something like this never happened to me,' and here I am," he added. "They say it’s really early stages. I hope they are able to get it all, and I’m fine. But I will keep you updated."
Support and television career
Reflecting on the emotional toll of the diagnosis, Amabile shared his decision to speak openly about his health journey. "This past month has been a lot of ups and downs to say the least," he wrote in a caption. "After multiple scans and MRIs I have what looks to be an early stage brain tumor. In two weeks I’ll be undergoing a craniotomy to have it removed, yeah brain surgery, @memorialsloankettering."
He expressed gratitude for his support network as he faced the operation. "I’m doing my best to stay positive during this time and am lucky to have a lot of support from family and friends," Amabile wrote. "I’ve gone back and forth about what I wanted to share on social media but ultimately this is part of my life now, so might as well. Onto a new journey."
Pitt offered public encouragement to her husband in the comments section of his post. "You’re so strong and we’re going to get through this together," she wrote. "I love you."
The couple first met in 2021 while filming Bachelor in Paradise and married in 2022. Amabile originally rose to fame on season 14 of The Bachelorette in 2018 while competing for Becca Kufrin. Although he was eliminated on the first night, his affable personality earned him the nickname "Grocery store Joe," leading to appearances on Dancing With the Stars and two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise in 2018 and 2021.
