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In late 2022, Al Roker, the beloved Today show weather anchor, suffered from what can only be described as a life-threatening medical crisis. The television personality was in the hospital due to having blood clots in his leg that had traveled to his lungs, leading to serious problems.
“To be completely honest, I almost died,” Roker revealed on the Your Mama’s Kitchen podcast in November 2023, according to USA Today. “I didn’t know it at the time, but Deborah and Leila, my middle girl, were really instrumental in keeping that away from me so I could concentrate [on recovering].”
The holidays turned out to be particularly brutal from a health standpoint, as Roker missed Thanksgiving. This marked the first time he missed hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 27 years, per OK! magazine.
“I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family,” he admitted. “I was not going to let that happen for Christmas.”
Roker set the goal, which eventually led him to cooking Christmas dinner for the family.
Despite his public Instagram post acknowledging the hospitalization in November 2022, Al Roker didn’t disclose how bad his illness actually was. His family remained in fear and uncertainty dealing with the possibility of him never coming back.
“Al was a very, very, very sick man, and I don’t think most people know that,” his wife, ABC News journalist Deborah Roberts, said on Today. “He was a medical mystery for weeks. It was the most tumultuous, frightening journey we have ever been on.”
When he returned to the show in January 2023, he was overly emotional, hinting towards a lengthy timeline of complex surgeries and difficult recoveries that he had gone through.
“My heart is just bursting,” he told viewers. “Right now, I’m running on adrenaline. I’m just thrilled to be here.”
It was both, actually — a professional comeback and a personal triumph.
A slow recovery — and a reason to push forward for Al Roker
The healing process for Al Roker did not conclude with his hospital discharge. He had to deal with the complications that came along with the knee re-replacement surgery he underwent in 2023.
“It makes it slow-going, it makes it a little tougher,” Roberts shared during an Instagram Live session in May. “It was a harder surgery… but he’s doing pretty well, moving a little slowly.”
Family, food, and other motivating factors kept Al Roker going through the ordeal. In particular, one spectacular moment proved to be a sign of hope for Roberts.
“Coming out of the anesthesia, she was there and said, ‘How do you feel?’” Roker recalled on Your Mama’s Kitchen. “And I said, ‘I saw this recipe in the New York Times Cooking for a spatchcock mayonnaise-based turkey. I’m going to make that for Christmas.’”
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Roberts knew he was make it through. On top of that, Al Roker found out he was going to be a grandfather while he was in the hospital, which added to his joy.
“Knowing that she was coming along over this last year aided Al’s recovery,” Roberts said on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “He’s just gotten stronger and stronger.”
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