Wesley Littlejohn and his wife Amanda in a photo taken in 2019 while taping the E! network’s ‘Botched’.
A botched medical procedure turned into a journey of faith for one Habersham County couple. Now, they’re sharing their story with the world on national television.
The Jan. 20 episode of the reality TV show Botched featured the story of Habersham County Deputy Wesley Littlejohn. The Cornelia resident went on the show to get help for a medical problem that developed after he had surgery for kidney cancer in 2012.
After doctors removed Wesley’s left kidney, the incision site started to bulge. A plastic surgeon attempted to fix it, but Wesley says it only got worse. Then one night, as he and his wife Amanda were watching Botched, the program put out a casting call.
“I said, ‘I wonder if they could help me?'” he tells Now Habersham. “Amanda said, ‘There is only one way to find out.'” She went online and submitted his story.
“We basically forgot about it,” says Wesley, “when out of the blue, I got an email from the show!”
After several rounds of processing, the casting directors narrowed down the entries. They ultimately chose Wesley to be on the show and undergo corrective plastic surgery.
“When they told us that I had been chosen, Amanda and I prayed about the situation,” he recalls. “God aligned every step, as he always does when it’s in his will.”
On a whim and a prayer
The journey that began on a whim and a prayer led the Littlejohns to California last year. They took multiple trips to the Golden State for tapings in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, and Los Angeles.
Wesley’s surgery was in March. His last taping for the show was in May. He calls the overall experience “great!”
“The taping process was fun but a lot of work. Lots of long days doing multiple takes.”
Making the 3D model they use on the show took several hours, but the crew kept things light. Wesley calls them “amazing, fun, kind, and hysterical.”
He has similarly fond memories of the show’s hosts — renowned plastic surgeons Dr. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif. He says they’re like “big kids.”
“They are very knowledgeable and skilled surgeons, yet make you feel like you’ve been their best friends their whole lives.”
Cancer-free now for seven years, Wesley says he’s never been healthier or happier.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience,” he says. “Blessed is the best way to describe it.”
