‘Bachelor’ Alum Joe Amabile Returns Home After Successful Brain Tumor Surgery

Joe Amabile is back home and recovering after undergoing brain surgery to remove an early-stage glioma, with wife Serena Pitt sharing that doctors were able to successfully remove the entire tumor.

The Bachelor franchise alum, better known to fans as “Grocery Store Joe,” recently underwent treatment at NYU Langone Health after doctors discovered a small lesion in his brain during follow-up testing earlier this summer.

On Aug. 10, Pitt, 28, shared an emotional update on Instagram, posting a carousel of photographs documenting several quiet moments from the couple’s hospital experience.

The first image showed Pitt and Amabile, 40, walking away from the NYU Langone Health campus while holding hands.

“A few peaceful moments from the hospital 🤍,” Pitt wrote.

She went on to thank the medical team who cared for her husband during the procedure and the days surrounding it.

“Incredibly grateful to the team at NYU Langone Health for their endless patience, care, compassion, and kindness these past few days,” she wrote.

Most importantly, Pitt confirmed that Amabile had been discharged.

“Joe is home recovering, and we’re so grateful to have been in such good hands.”

Doctors Were Able to Remove the Entire Tumor

The latest update follows encouraging news Pitt previously shared immediately after Amabile’s surgery.

According to Pitt, the operation was successful and doctors were able to remove the entire tumor.

“They were able to remove the entire tumor and Joe is recovering very well,” she said.

The couple has been open with followers about Amabile’s unexpected diagnosis since July, explaining how a routine decision to undergo more comprehensive health screening ultimately led to the discovery.

For Amabile, the process began with a full-body MRI scan through Prenuvo.

The scan apparently identified something that required closer examination, prompting doctors to order a dedicated brain MRI.

That second scan revealed a lesion.

Amabile First Revealed His Diagnosis in July

On July 13, Amabile shared the news publicly.

He explained that doctors had discovered what he described as a “blueberry-sized lesion” in his brain.

“There was a blueberry-sized lesion in my brain that looks to be a glioma, which is a tumor,” he told followers.

A glioma is a type of tumor that originates from glial cells in the brain or spinal cord, though individual cases can differ significantly depending on the tumor’s exact type and characteristics.

At the time of his announcement, Amabile said doctors had recommended surgery relatively quickly.

“So I now need to get brain surgery [in two weeks] to get it removed and get it tested, and then we’re gonna go from there,” he said.

The diagnosis came as a major surprise.

“So it’s been a wild couple weeks,” Amabile admitted. “Definitely wasn’t expecting this.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding brain surgery and the testing that would follow, he emphasized that doctors believed the tumor had been detected at an early stage.

He Tried to Stay Positive Before Surgery

In the period leading up to the operation, Amabile repeatedly said that he was focused on keeping his mental and physical stress under control.

He described maintaining “a positive mindset and keeping my stress levels low” as one of the most important things he could do while waiting for surgery.

“I am staying positive,” he said.

He also expressed gratitude that the lesion had been identified before it apparently had the opportunity to progress further.

“I think it’s great that we caught this early.”

That early discovery became one of the most reassuring aspects of the couple’s public updates.

Rather than presenting the diagnosis solely through fear, Amabile and Pitt repeatedly emphasized both the seriousness of the situation and the benefit of identifying the abnormality when they did.

Serena Pitt Discussed the Expected Recovery

Pitt also addressed her husband’s prognosis and recovery timeline during the July 16 episode of their podcast, Not Married to This.

According to Pitt, doctors expected Amabile to remain in the hospital for several days following surgery before continuing his recovery at home.

“They said a few days in the hospital, a few weeks out, and then you’ll be back and better than ever, baby,” she said.

Her comments suggested that while Amabile would need time to heal, the medical team was optimistic about his immediate recovery.

Pitt also used their experience to encourage listeners to take an active role in their own health care.

“We hope that you guys take away from this to advocate for yourself, ask questions,” she said.

“You know, health is never something to mess around with.”

Their message reflected the unexpected way Amabile’s tumor had been discovered.

He had not publicly described entering the screening process because of a dramatic neurological emergency. Instead, broader imaging ultimately led doctors toward the brain MRI that identified the lesion.

A Frightening Diagnosis for the Reality TV Couple

Amabile and Pitt have spent several years sharing major moments of their relationship with Bachelor Nation fans, but the health scare marked a very different type of public chapter.

Amabile originally entered the franchise on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette, where his brief appearance unexpectedly turned him into a fan favorite.

His Chicago grocery store background quickly earned him the nickname “Grocery Store Joe.”

He later appeared on Bachelor in Paradise, where he eventually met Pitt.

The two developed a relationship during the show’s seventh season and became engaged during the finale.

Their romance continued after leaving reality television, and the couple later married.

Since then, they have remained connected to the Bachelor audience through social media, television appearances and their podcast.

That familiarity meant many longtime viewers followed Amabile’s July diagnosis closely after he chose to reveal it publicly.

Pitt Stayed Beside Him Throughout Treatment

Pitt’s Aug. 10 photographs showed a more personal side of the experience.

Rather than focusing entirely on medical details, the images documented small moments surrounding Amabile’s time at the hospital.

Her caption centered on gratitude — both for her husband’s progress and for the physicians, nurses and staff who cared for him.

The photograph of the couple walking away from the hospital hand in hand was particularly meaningful given the uncertainty they had described only weeks earlier.

In July, Amabile was preparing for brain surgery without knowing precisely what further testing might reveal.

By August, he was leaving the hospital after doctors successfully removed the entire tumor.

The next stage now involves recovery and any additional medical follow-up recommended by his doctors.

The Couple Continues to Emphasize Early Detection

Throughout the ordeal, both Amabile and Pitt have repeatedly returned to one theme: being proactive about health.

Pitt’s earlier advice to “advocate for yourself” reflected how dramatically their situation changed after additional imaging revealed something Amabile had not anticipated.

Amabile himself similarly focused on the fact that the lesion was discovered early.

His experience does not mean every person needs the same type of screening, and medical imaging decisions should be discussed with qualified healthcare professionals.

But for Amabile personally, the scan led to a finding that ultimately required surgery.

That reality has shaped the way he and Pitt have spoken about the experience publicly.

Now, the Focus Is Recovery

For the moment, the most important update is also the simplest: Amabile is home.

After weeks that included an unexpected diagnosis, medical consultations and brain surgery, Pitt says her husband is now continuing his recovery outside the hospital.

The couple has not yet shared every detail about the tumor’s final pathology or what additional treatment, if any, may be recommended.

What they have shared is encouraging.

Doctors successfully removed the entire tumor, Amabile is recovering well, and he has been discharged.

For the reality star who called the experience a “wild couple weeks” when he first revealed his diagnosis, the latest chapter is markedly calmer.

And Pitt’s message captured exactly where the couple’s attention is now.

Joe is home, recovering — and they are grateful.