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‘The Bachelorette’ Contestant Cam Ayala Candidly Talks about His Life as an Amputee
Cam Ayala is currently living his life as an amputee.He had a medical condition in his leg called lymphedema. According to CDC, lymphedema is…
Cam Ayala is currently living his life as an amputee.
He had a medical condition in his leg called lymphedema. According to CDC, lymphedema is swelling brought on by the body’s accumulation of lymph fluid.
Although it may appear anywhere on the body, it typically occurs in the arms or legs. This swelling can occasionally grow swiftly or slowly over several months.
Ayala was a part of the 15th season of The Bachelorette and the 6th season of Bachelor in Paradise. He had lymphedema while he appeared on reality TV shows and was in a lot of pain behind the scenes.
Eventually, his condition led to leg amputation, and now, he is living his life as an amputee and has become an advocate for all amputees all over the world.
Cam Ayala’s medical condition and amputation
Ayala has had lymphedema since he was a child. Growing up, he was active and played many sports, like basketball, football, and baseball.
When he was 11 years old, he joined a summer basketball league near Houston. The coaches and parents noticed that he was limping and skipping instead of running there.
His parents believed he had growing pains since he was just 11. However, the pain in his back and knee were severe.
As a result, his parents took him to an orthopedic surgeon who noticed that his right leg was 1.5 inches shorter than his left. There were a few dark spots, which led to the speculation of bone cancer.
Ayala got a surgical biopsy to test them, and fortunately, he did not have cancer. On the other hand, he saw the first signs of lymphedema — a medical condition that stayed with him for the next 22 years.
There is no exact treatment for lymphedema, so he wore leg compression and massaged his legs to drain the fluid. He stayed active and even played NCAA basketball for a year.
But he did not tell anyone about his condition since he did not want to be treated differently. In 2014, he had a major infection on his right knee joint, and from 2014 to 2021, he had nine infections and 16 knee surgeries.
In 2021, he attempted a last effort to save his leg. His doctor suggested total knee replacement, the reason being “with the knee gone, the infection would be too.”
Cam Ayala suffered from a medical condition named lymphedema which led to leg amputation. (Source: Instagram)
Unfortunately, the surgery did not work. Ayala could only bend his knee to 45 degrees and not the 90 degrees needed for a normal gait.
Eventually, he realized the replacement was of the wrong size and in the wrong position. Now, he had two options — either another operation or amputation.
He wrote in Insider, “I had two options: I could go through an excruciating revision process without promised results, or I could choose to have an amputation above the knee. I chose amputation.”
Cam Ayala’s life as an amputee
In June 2022, Ayala got his leg amputated. Even if the amputation was his choice and he was preparing for it “physically, emotionally, and spiritually,” it took a mental toll on him.
Regardless, he fought through it, and now, he is proudly living his life as an amputee. He told People in May 2023 that his biggest challenge was to let go of the person he used to be.
He is an advocate for all amputees and plans to release a documentary in June 2023 — around the time of his one-year anniversary of getting the amputation.
He said, “I’m doing this to bring hope to other amputees. I don’t care if you had your limb loss or amputation 20 years ago, or two weeks ago, it’s never too late to regain your mobility and regain your quality of life.”
He has used his social media and online platform to advocate for amputation. Similarly, he has also launched a podcast called Above and Below alongside fellow amputee James E Dixon to support and advocate for people with amputation.
All in all, Ayala is embracing the loss of his leg and is proud to be an amputee.