Lifestyle Health Cam Ayala Says Hannah Brown Sent 'Very Long and Sweet Message' Following His Leg Amputation The former Bachelorette contestant underwent leg amputation surgery last month as part of a life-long battle with the chronic disease lymphedema By Stephanie Wenger Stephanie Wenger Stephanie Wenger is a TV Writer/Reporter at PEOPLE. She joined the brand in 2021 as a digital news writer, covering stories spanning across the site's verticals. She previously contributed E! Online, Hollywood Life and Oscar.com. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 13, 2022 08:21PM EDT Photo: abc; getty Cam Ayala revealed Hannah Brown reached out to him after his leg amputation surgery last month. Ayala — who competed on Brown's season of The Bachelorette — said the reality star sent him a message on Instagram but he has yet to hear from any of his fellow contestants. "For the record, Hannah Brown did just reach out to me via DM last night and sent a very long and sweet message," he wrote in response to a post by Bachelor fan thatbachlexx. "As for the other guys in my season…" Cam Ayala/Instagram Cam Ayala Takes Fans Inside Recovery as He Practices Walking After Leg Amputation: 'CAMputee' The Bachelor in Paradise alum also opened up about his experience on the reality series after the show documented him crashing a group date he wasn't invited on and stealing Hannah during serious and sensitive conversations with other men. "It was a super unfortunate situation that has caused PTSD that I've struggled with the past 3 years," he shared. "But I'm no longer angry or bitter, this journey has brought me closer to God and helped me to take inventory of the important things in my life." Last month, Ayala shared an update for fans as he recovered from leg amputation surgery. BIP's Cam Ayala Teams Up with Kathy Bates to Raise Awareness for Lymphedema: 'My Lymphedema Sister' Ayala posted a series of photos and videos on Instagram from the moments after his surgery to remove most of his right leg. In one video from Texas Medical Center, Ayala was seen using a walker with the help of his doctors. As he walked back into the room, the friend recording said to him "great job, man." Ayala, 33, captioned the post, "Gotta lotta BROMENTUM with @b.rapp." He dubbed himself a "CAMputee" with a series of hashtags including "FAITHoverFEAR." Ayala underwent the amputation as another step in his life-long battle with lymphedema, a chronic disease with no cure that results in the buildup of fluid in soft tissues and causes swelling in the arms and legs. The former reality star was born with the disease, which mostly affected his right leg. After 16 knee surgeries over the past seven years, he's been preparing for this "transformative" amputation for a while. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. Ayala previously partnered with Kathy Bates, who also has the "debilitating" chronic disease, to raise awareness.