Ryan Sutter is giving fans more insight into his battle with a mysterious illness.
Just weeks after his wife, Trista Sutter, revealed that her husband had been “struggling for months” with his health, the “Bachelorette” alum, 46, has opened up about the importance of asking for help and letting others in.
“I’ve learned a lot about resiliency this year,” Ryan, a firefighter, wrote on Instagram Tuesday. “I’d imagine we all have? For years I followed the ideal laid out by Gandhi that strength was measured by an indomitable will. I pushed myself to develop a mindset that would not give up, give in or give off any sign of weakness. I did this mostly on my own, choosing solitude as my practice ground. Though I had breakdowns, few ever saw them. Mostly I internalized difficulty and distracted myself from its presence through physical exertion. It worked for me. I felt confident. I felt resilient. Until this year…”
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He continued, “For me, health concerns brought on this realization, eventually forcing me to expose what I considered to be weakness. Once exposed, however, weakness became an opportunity. I was no longer alone in my struggle. My wife went on a mission, developing a medical strategy and path towards hopeful answers while at the same time leaving daily reminder notes to keep my spirits up.”
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In his original post, announcing his battle, Ryan revealed some of his symptoms to the mystery illness, “Though I am functional and continue to work my regular fire schedule, I am experiencing a battery of symptoms which include: fatigue — sometimes almost paralyzing, deep body and muscle aches, fevers, night sweats, full-body itching with no rash, headaches, neck and throat swelling, congestion, lightheadedness, nausea and just general all-around not feeling good.”
Ryan and Trista met on the first season of “The Bachelorette” in 2003. They married later that year and welcomed daughter Blakesley in 2009 and son Maxwell in 2007.
