Life-Changing Accident Has Chef Buddy Valastro Questioning If He'll Ever Bake Again

Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro isn’t sure if he will bake again following his scary bowling accident. "I have a thing with my hands. If I get a paper cut on my hand, I’m pissed off," the 43-year-old told PEOPLE. 

"My hands to me are my lifeline of everything I do," he revealed. "And I wonder, 'Am I ever going to do what I used to be able to do?'"

However, Valastro’s wife, Lisa Valastro, is confident that he will be whipping up concoctions in the kitchen in no time. "He will bake again, even if he has to use his left hand. Trust me."

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On September 20, the chef was spending "quality time" with his family at his New Jersey home — which has a bowling alley — and the bowling pinsetter malfunctioned, which "turned into a terrible accident," Valastro’s rep told PEOPLE at the time. 

"I’ve reset the machine a hundred times," he explained. "I guess I looked away, and then my hand got pinned. The metal barb pushed right through the middle of my ring finger and my middle finger. I was stuck in a machine."

Luckily, Valastro’s sons Buddy Jr., 16, and Marco, 13, and his brother-in-law, Joe Faugno, were able to help him get out of the messy situation by using pliers and a saw. Following the incident, the reality star got two surgeries — one at Morristown Memorial in New Jersey and a second one at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. 

Despite being injured, Valastro couldn’t help but poke fun at the situation while he was in the hospital. "What do you think of my new accessory?" he captioned a photo of himself wearing a cast with an IV inserted into his other hand. 

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Luckily, some of his famous pals, including Alex Guarnaschelli and Duff Goldman, wished him well during this time. "Duff was one of the first people who reached out when he heard and he’s been so supportive," Valastro gushed about his costar and rival on the Food Network show Buddy vs. Duff. "I’m going to need him to force me to get back into it."

For now, Valastro is recovering at home in Montville, N.J. Valastro has nerve, tendon and muscle damage in his dominant right hand, which will require physical therapy and maybe even another surgery down the line. "It’s really preliminary right now, but they’re saying it’s definitely going to be a long road to recovery," he shared. 

Fortunately, Valastro — who shares four kids with wife Lisa — is leaning on his brood while he rests. "Blessed to have my beautiful family by my side and so grateful for all the love and support from my social media family,” he wrote via Instagram on September 28. “My heart is full! Thank you for the outreach and well wishes! #grateful #cakeboss #buddyvalastro #recovery."

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Get well soon, Buddy!