Bachelor in Paradise alum Joe Amabile crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, less than three months after undergoing brain surgery.
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"88 days ago I was waking up from brain surgery. Today, finishing the New York marathon," he said before kissing his medal.
Joe also posted photos and videos from the day, including a clip of his wife and Bachelor in Paradise co-star, Serena Pitt, getting emotional as he finished. He called the race his slowest marathon yet, but also his biggest personal achievement.
"WHAT A DAY! My worst time yet and my greatest accomplishment at the same time," he wrote.
Serena, 29, celebrated her husband in the comments, writing that she would never forget the day and that he inspires her and many others. She also shared a video of herself and former The Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe cheering for Joe along the course.
"I can't even put into words how proud and inspired I feel today! AND how happy I am that it's over!" Serena shared, adding that watching him finish just 88 days after brain surgery was an indescribable feeling. "You are my hero and I love you so much."
Joe previously told Us Weekly that deciding to run the marathon helped him regain a sense of control after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. He underwent surgery in August to remove a blueberry-sized tumor from his left frontal lobe.
He said he had initially wondered whether he was done running marathons, then decided to take on the difficult New York race.
"Recovery hasn't been, as you would imagine, the easiest, but overall, I'm doing good," Joe said.
Two months after undergoing brain surgery, Joe opened up on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast about the moment he was told he had a lesion in his brain. The news followed his full-body MRI scan with Prenuvo, with whom he and Serena had a partnership at the time.
"We're on our way to [a friend]'s birthday party, and I either get a text or an email that my Prenuvo results are in and they are trying to schedule a call with me for the morning. And I was like, 'Okay, that's weird,'" Joe recalled.
Serena agreed it was odd because she had also done a Prenuvo scan and hadn't heard anything. Serena also realized that receiving a phone call in 48 hours was an extremely fast turnaround.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW"[Prior to the scan], they said, 'It's probably going to be five to seven business days, probably next week [you hear from us].' And it was, like, 9PM at night," Serena explained.
Joe learned the next morning that he had a brain lesion "the size of a small grape [or] a large blueberry." He said he did everything in his power not to throw up.
In September, Serena shared on the couple's own "Not Married To This" podcast that they were "definitely in a state of shock" after learning about Joe's malignant brain tumor in July.
"It was really scary running around to different hospitals and doctors felt incredibly overwhelming and impossible at the time that we first got your diagnosis," Serena said.
Serena said she was able to speak to Joe right before he went under general anesthesia and could "see the panic" in his eyes.
"That's also when it hit me... You were really scared, fairly so. I was really scared," Serena recalled, adding how saying goodbye to Joe in that moment was "really tough" for her.
Prior to the surgery, Joe had been warned there was "a slight chance" he'd wake up and be temporarily paralyzed.
However, that didn't turn out to be the case, and Joe said the surgery "went great" and they ultimately "got it all."
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Shortly after having 23 staples removed from his head in late August, Joe revealed on social media that he ran over three miles and hoped to participate in the 2026 New York City marathon.
Going forward, Joe said he'll have to continue taking an anti-seizure pill every day "to put the bad cells to sleep."
Despite the challenges that are still ahead of Joe, his doctor, Dr. Alexandra Miller -- the chief of neuro-oncology at the Perlmutter Cancer Center -- recently said on Good Morning America that he has a "good prognosis" and "it was a really good thing and very lucky that he was able to find it early."
Joe found fame when he competed on Season 14 of The Bachelorette starring Becca Kufrin in 2018.
After being a Night 1 boot, Joe returned for Season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise, where he fell in love with Kendall Long.
After Joe and Kendall split, Joe looked for love on Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2021 and found it with Serena.
Joe and Serena quietly tied the knot in a New York City courthouse in 2022 before having a bigger "magical" wedding for family and friends in South Carolina in September 2023.
Joe also previously competed on Season 27 of Dancing with the Stars and placed fifth with pro Jenna Johnson.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
