Bachelor Nation's Cam Ayala is taking his recovery from leg amputation surgery in stride, with the support of his loved ones.
Last week, the 33-year-old native of Austin, Texas had his right leg amputated after a lifelong struggle with lymphedema, an incurable disease in which fluid build ups in soft body tissues, causing swelling in limbs. Since then, he has documented his recovery from his surgery on Instagram, sharing photos and videos of himself with visiting friends in the hospital, where he is practicing using a walker with his dad's help.
"Day 3 in the life of an #amputee with some of my Day 1's from @tamu to Fort Worth to ATX to HTown to @thestoryhouston," Ayala wrote on June 25 post. "#FaithOverFear #CAMputee #CAMputation #ToGodBeTheGlory #Lymphedema #Friends #family"
Ayala, who competed for Hannah Brown's heart on season 15 of The Bachelorette in 2019 and later appeared on Bachelor in Paradise that year, had also shared a video of himself practicing walking after his surgery a day earlier.
He included in his post a sample of Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," also known as the original Wonder Years' theme song.
Ayala scheduled his amputation after undergoing 16 knee surgeries over a seven-year span to try to treat his disease, which has mostly affected his right leg.
He said on the Maybe God podcast earlier this month that he suffered a blood clot and "the worst physical pain" of his life after undergoing his final knee operation.
In addition to getting support from his loved ones, Cam is also leaning on his faith amid his journey to recovery, which he is filming for a documentary.
"On Wednesday, our friend Cam Ayala underwent a grueling 8-hour surgery to remove his right leg from the thigh down," read a June 24 post on the Maybe God podcast's Instagram. "The Maybe God team headed to the hospital first thing Thursday to be with Cam when he removed the blanket and looked down at his missing limb for the first time."
The message continued, "As you can imagine, there wasn't a dry eye in the room, but that didn't last long. Cam had us laughing moments later about his "Forest Stump" and Eric had him open a post-surgery present - a single sock!"