Ryan Sutter, one-half of the first Bachelorette couple, has finally begun to find answers to the health issues he has been struggling with for the past year.
In an update, the former reality star revealed that he was diagnosed with Lyme disease, alongside testing positive for COVID-19 and Epstein-Barr virus.
He spoke of his health during his wife Trista Sutter‘s podcast Better Etc.
Ryan revealed that after one year of struggling against mysterious health issues, it was found he had high levels of mold in his body due to his work as a firefighter.
“It seems to be that what happened is that my immune system was weakened through exposures to toxins and especially to mold,” Ryan said.
“There are other people in the fire academy that probably had the same exposures who aren’t dealing with these exposures because their genetics are stronger, they’re able to get rid of the toxins easier,” he shared as reported by Too Fab.
Ryan’s diagnosis was a real eye-opener
Ryan revealed to Trisha that his “long days on the job caused exhaustion and dehydration.” This made it harder for his body to fight off infections.
“I now essentially have Lyme disease,” he continued.
“It seems like something that I will always have, it’s just that now I know, and I will try to build back my immune system to fight it off. And Epstein-Barr — I showed that virus, and this weakened immune system may have allowed that to come back in. On top of that, COVID, I tested positive for that.”
The ex-reality star is looking for ‘certainty within’
In a new Instagram post, Ryan wrote that he went through a list of what-ifs over the year.
“Maybe I picked a bad time to start my career over? Maybe I was too old, too broken, too confident, too selfish, too clueless? Maybe it was too much? Maybe I should’ve left well enough alone – stayed comfortable and content, each day rolling by on life cruise control? Maybe I made a mistake? Maybe so. Or maybe not. Maybe those maybes are meant to shine a light on what may be? To illuminate a path of personal growth and to challenge a new mindset? To demonstrate what might be possible and what may be most important?” he said.
In November of 2020, Ryan and Trista publicly shared that he had been battling an unknown illness since the start of the year. After over a year of doctor visits and consultations, bloodwork, diagnostic scans, research, and lots of support from friends, family, and even fans and listeners, they finally found the answers they had been looking for.
The Bachelorette returns to ABC beginning Monday, June 7 at 8/7c.