Joe Amabile is back home with his wife, Serena Pitt, after undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumor discovered during a full-body scan. The “Bachelor in Paradise” star was discharged from the hospital days after telling followers that doctors had successfully removed the entire mass. Although Amabile has now reached a major milestone in his recovery, the couple indicated that he still has a lengthy healing process ahead of him.
Serena Pitt Shares First Look At Joe Amabile Back Home
Pitt confirmed her husband’s return home through an Instagram Stories update on Saturday, August 8. “So happy to be back home with Joe,” she wrote alongside a photo of Amabile relaxing on the couch inside their New York City apartment while watching golf. “Lots of rest and recovery ahead of us.”
The image marked a significant change from the hospital photographs the couple had shared only days earlier. Pitt remained by Amabile’s side throughout his hospitalization and surgery.
Amabile offered his own encouraging update from the hospital on Thursday, August 6. “They got it all!” he wrote alongside a collection of post-operative selfies.
Pitt later confirmed that doctors had removed the entire tumor. “The best update: they were able to remove the entire tumor,” she shared. “Joe is recovering really well. We’re feeling so grateful.”
No further information about the tumor’s testing or Amabile’s long-term treatment plan was included in the available updates.
A Full-Body Scan Led To The Unexpected Discovery
Amabile revealed his health crisis in July, explaining that the tumor had been discovered after he underwent a Prenuvo full-body scan. “So a little medical update. I didn’t share my Prenuvo [full body scan] results because they ended up finding a lesion in my brain,” Amabile said in an Instagram video.
The reality star was subsequently sent for additional imaging to provide doctors with a clearer look at the abnormality. “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 continued. “I now need to get brain surgery next week to get it removed and get it tested.”
The finding came as a shock to Amabile, who admitted that he had not expected the screening to lead to such a serious procedure. “And then we’re going to go from there. So it’s been a wild couple weeks. I definitely wasn’t expecting this,” he said. “I think it’s one of those things where you’re like, ‘Oh, something like this will never happen to me.’ And here I am.”
Amabile said at the time that doctors believed the tumor was in its “really early stages” and were optimistic that they could remove it completely.
‘Grocery Store Joe’ Tried To Stay Positive Before Surgery
In the caption accompanying his initial announcement, Amabile acknowledged the emotional strain caused by the unexpected diagnosis. “This past month has been a lot of ups and downs to say the least. After multiple scans and MRIs, I have what looks to be an early-stage brain tumor,” he wrote.
He also revealed that the operation would take place at Memorial Sloan Kettering. “In two weeks I’ll be undergoing a craniotomy to have it removed, yeah brain surgery, @memorialsloankettering,” Amabile continued. “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 became known as “Grocery Store Joe” after his first appearance in Bachelor Nation. He later met Pitt during Season 7 of “Bachelor in Paradise,” and their relationship continued after the cameras stopped rolling. The couple married at a New York City courthouse in October 2022 before holding a larger ceremony in South Carolina the following year.
Joe Amabile Explains Why He Chose A Craniotomy
Ahead of the operation, Amabile addressed the risks and reasoning behind his decision on the couple’s “Not Married to This” podcast. According to the former grocery store owner, monitoring the lesion would not have provided a definitive answer about what it was. “It was, we’ll never know what this is by just monitoring it. We will only know by taking it out or biopsying it,” Amabile explained.
He understood that operating on the brain carried serious risks, even though the tumor’s location reportedly made complete removal more feasible. “And from my understanding, they only do biopsies in the brain if removing it is very dangerous,” he said. “But where mine is located, it seems like it’s a less dangerous scale to remove it. I mean, the surgery is very dangerous. [A] craniotomy … is scary. It’s a serious surgery.”
The decision ultimately allowed doctors to remove the entire tumor, according to the postoperative updates shared by Amabile and Pitt.
Bachelor Nation Friend Was ‘Hoping For The Best’
Amabile received support from fellow Bachelor Nation personalities throughout his health ordeal. Before the surgery, Dylan Barbour told Us Weekly that he had recently spent time with Amabile in the Hamptons and remained in regular contact with him.
“I just saw Joe in the Hamptons,” Barbour said, adding that “he’s doing well.” “It’s good to see him. Good to spend time with him. I talk to him weekly,” the 32-year-old continued.
Barbour also described the close friendship that developed between their families after their time in the reality television franchise. “Joe’s the best. We spent summers together at our lake house. We went to the Hamptons. Him and Serena [Pitt] couldn’t be better people,” he said. “I’m hoping for the best.”
Amabile’s return home now begins the next phase of that recovery, with Pitt making it clear that rest will remain the couple’s immediate priority.
