Bachelorette alum Joe Amabile revealed that doctors have found “what looks to be an early stage brain tumour” in his head after undergoing a full-body MRI scan.
Amabile shared the medical news in an Instagram video on Monday, saying, “So a little medical update… they ended up finding a lesion in my brain so then I had to go get a brain MRI. There was a blueberry-size lesion in my brain that looks to be a glioma which is a tumour.”
A glioma is a growth of cells that starts in the brain or spinal cord and as a glioma grows it forms a mass of cells called a tumour, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“I now need to get brain surgery next week to get it removed and get it tested,” the 40-year-old reality star continued. “Then we’re going to go from there. It’s been a wild couple of weeks. I definitely wasn’t expecting this.”
“I think it’s one of those things where you’re like something like this would never happen to me and here I am,” Amabile 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.”
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In the caption for his video, Amabile wrote, “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. In two weeks I’ll be undergoing a craniotomy to have it removed – yeah brain surgery.”
Amabile, known as “Grocery Store Joe” from the Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, said that he is doing his best to stay positive during this time and is lucky “to have a lot of support from family and friends.”
“I’ve gone back and forth about what I wanted to share on social media but ultimately this is now part of my life now, so might as well. Onto a new journey,” he added.
Amabile’s wife, Canadian reality star Serena Pitt, supported him in his comment section, writing, “You’re so strong and we’re going to get through this together. I love you.”
There are many types of glioma and some aren’t considered to be cancerous, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Glioma symptoms depend on the location of the glioma and may depend on its size and how quickly it’s growing, the organization notes.
The Mayo Clinic says that common signs and symptoms include headaches, nausea and vomiting, confusion or a decline in brain function, memory loss, personality changes or irritability, vision problems, speech difficulties and seizures.
Gliomas are most common in adults between ages 45 and 65 years old, though there are certain kinds of brain tumours that are more common in children and young adults, per the Mayo Clinic.
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