Al Roker Reflects on Near-Fatal Health Scare as Holidays Approach
By Movieguide® Contributor
TODAY show host Al Roker is reflecting on his near-fatal health scare last year that kept him from celebrating the holidays.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE on “Your Mama’s Kitchen,” Roker felt he ‘ruined’ Thanksgiving last year due to his hospitalization.
“It’s no secret that I had a severe medical issue, and to be completely honest, I almost died. I didn’t know it at the time,” he said.
“But I missed Thanksgiving, and almost missed Christmas,” he added. “And I forgot how important those touchstone moments are.”
“I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family and I was not going to let that happen for Christmas,” he continued.
Roker previously detailed the condition that put him in the hospital.
“Look, I had two complicating things,” Roker told TODAY. “I had blood clots, which they think came up after I had COVID in September. And then I had this internal bleeding going on, I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was.”
“I went in for one operation, I got four free,” he said with a laugh. “So, I got that going for me.”
The TV personality credited his wife, Deborah, for helping his recovery.
“Thank God for Deborah,” he said of his wife. “She basically shielded me from all of this. I’m a living example of ignorance is bliss. I was able to put all my energy into recuperating because I didn’t know how bad this was…I thought I was doing good!”
“It’s not lost on us that this is a major, major thing for Al to be here,” Deborah added. “He is a living breathing miracle. And I’m not overstating it, I think.”
Deborah also said that she knew Roker would make it because as soon as he came out of surgery, he immediately thought of a recipe.
Now, Roker prioritizes his health. He shared a video of him on the treadmill on his Instagram. He wrote, “Good morning and welcome to #thursday fellow #starttoday family. Get up a little earlier and get@that activity in and check it off! And checkout our #novemberchallenge at @starttoday_ #tevincampbell”
Movieguide® previously reported on Roker:
In a recent interview, Today anchor Al Roker shared the best advice he’s ever gotten and what he does the stay grounded in his faith.
During the interview with Guideposts, Roker explained that he received great advice from Willard Scott, the Today weatherman that Roker took over for when he joined the show. “Always be yourself,” Scott told Roker. “People can do whatever they want, but they can’t take that from you. Everybody wants to be somebody else; just be you.”
Along with his family and his career, Roker puts a lot of value on his faith. During the interview he shared that he journals everyday as a way to keep himself grounded and express gratitude every day. He also likes to escape to his house in upstate New York whenever he can get out on the lake and just sit and have peace away from all the hustle and bustle of New York City.
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