A ‘Cake Boss’ heals from a gruesome injury in TLC’s ‘Buddy Valastro: Road to Recovery’
A career-threatening hand injury may have Buddy Valastro down, but by his estimation he’ll never be out.
In September, the “Cake Boss” star and owner of the Hoboken, N.J.,-based Carlo’s Bakery had his right hand impaled repeatedly by a metal rod in a malfunctioning pinsetter in his home bowling alley. The resulting injury has required three surgeries to date with months of rehab of lying ahead.
The story of his journey back from the gruesome accident is told in the twohour special “Buddy Valastro: Road to Recovery,” premiering Wednesday, Dec. 23, on TLC. The film follows the dramatic events as they unfolded in real time, with footage captured immediately after the mishap along with the surgeries, his rehab and his first days back on the job.
“It really started with me wanting to capture everything that was happening so I could share it with my doctors,” Valastro says of his reason for doing the film, “and not miss any important details during the chaos of the accident. But after talking with the TLC team, I agreed that sharing this story could help others who are experiencing any of their own challenges and recovery.”
At this writing, Valastro says that he is still dealing with stiffness, numbness and some pain as the nerves and tendons heal and he estimates that the hand is at about 10-15 percent of its pre-accident strength. Because of that, he’s learned to perform some functions left-handed. And he’s maintained a positive attitude.
“I’ve always been this way,” he says. “I’m a fighter and have so much to live for and work hard for. My family keeps me motivated. There’s so much I want to teach my kids and pass down the skills I learned from my own dad. I’m lucky to love what I do, so want to keep going and prove to myself I can do it.”
At 43, Valastro says he’s too young to be relegated to the sidelines and wants to be able to perform all the intricate functions he did prior to the accident. But even though everyone is optimistic, it’s still early and there are no guarantees. So does he have a plan B in case there is no full recovery?
“It won’t happen, I won’t let it,” he says. “I’m still in the bakery every day, working with the team. My hand might be recovering, but my mind and mouth and feet are going as fast as ever. I have an amazing team and we’re hustling and keeping up with our holiday orders . ... I love a challenge so I’ll do everything I can.”