The Bachelorette alum Ryan Sutter has revealed he's back to work at the firehouse in Colorado after undergoing two major surgeries and enduring months of sickness.

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Ryan, who won Trista Rehn's final rose on The Bachelorette's first season, took to Instagram on Tuesday to reveal that he's in a good place after having to take almost six months off from work to deal with his health crisis.

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The 47-year-old firefighter wrote, "I took a walk today. After two major surgeries and nearly six months, yesterday was my first day back in the firehouse. So I walked and I reflected. It was a good day back on the job."

In August 2021, Ryan underwent a knee replacement surgery on his right knee, and one month later, he went under the knife again for an ankle replacement surgery on his left ankle.

"At one point a wide-eyed young boy and his parents stopped by to see the firetruck. At another, a young adult purposefully spit on our engine as he drove by on his scooter," Ryan continued in his post.

"We were stopped at an intersection after returning from a car accident and apparently he doesn't like firefighters? Both instances made me proud of what we do."

Prior to his two major surgeries, Ryan revealed in May 2021 he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

Ryan had been desperate for answers after undergoing tests for nearly a year to find out why he had been feeling so ill and fatigued. Ryan explained on Trista's "Better, Etc." podcast how doctors said his body had been weakened from exposure to mold toxins and so he was unable to fight Lyme disease.

Ryan had also reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic in 2020 as well as Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis.

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"This job isn't easy -- not these days and not in this climate. But it's a tremendous opportunity, an opportunity to be challenged, to be humbled and to be taught that, despite our differences, we are all humans in this life -- together in at least that much," Ryan wrote on Instagram.

"So we get to meet, inspire and render speechless young children (and sometimes their parents too). We also get to respond repeatedly to people who need help -- for any reason and at any time -- even if they just spit on our fire engine from their scooter."

Ryan concluded, "What a job! It's great to be back... Still the #bestjobever."

Trista wrote to her husband in the comments section, "Love your perspective. Love you."

While Ryan has served as a firefighter in Colorado for several years, he transferred to the city of Denver in 2020 and therefore had to re-train for one year, according to Us Weekly.

Ryan graduated from firefighter training in June 2021, just weeks after revealing his Lyme disease diagnosis in Spring 2021.

Although Ryan has been through a lot in the last year, he managed to have fun and let loose with his beloved family in December 2021.

Ryan, Trista and their children -- son Maxwell Alston, 14, and daughter Blakesley Grace, 12 -- took a family vacation to Florida for some warm weather and a good "escape."

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"This week has been different -- a fortuitous opportunity to escape, to be together as a family, to participate," Ryan shared on Instagram from the beach on December 31.

"I missed taking pictures I actually want to look at. I missed capturing moments I know I'll look back on fondly. I missed feeling a part of my family. I missed my life. But this week it was all there. A glimpse of the past and, I know, a glimpse into the future."

Trista -- who found fame when she competed on Alex Michel's season of The Bachelor in 2002 -- chose Ryan at the final Rose Ceremony of her The Bachelorette season over runner-up Charlie Maher.

Ryan proposed marriage to Trista on The Bachelorette's first-season finale, which aired on ABC in February 2003 and drew over 30 million viewers.

Trista, a former Dancing with the Stars and Fear Factor contestant, changed her last name from Rehn to Sutter when she married Ryan in December 2003.

Trista & Ryan's Wedding's two-hour finale -- which featured the couple's wedding ceremony and reception at the Lodge in Rancho Mirage resort in Palm Springs, CA -- drew over 17 million viewers when it aired on ABC on December 10, 2003.

Trista and Ryan welcomed Maxwell in July 2007 followed by Blakesley in April 2009.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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