NEW YORK — Al Roker feels “blessed to be alive” following multiple hospitalizations to treat a life-threatening condition, he said in a new interview.
The “Today” show meteorologist was treated for blood clots in November and later readmitted after experiencing complications. He returned to the NBC morning show last Friday.
“I was more scared about the blood clots than anything else,” the Queens-born Roker told People in a piece published Wednesday.
Roker, 68, revealed his initial hospitalization at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center on Nov. 18, announcing a blood clot in his leg caused additional clots in his lungs.
He was released on Thanksgiving morning but was rushed back the following day. Roker reportedly underwent surgery for a perforation in his small intestine. During the operation, doctors removed his gallbladder and resectioned part of his colon.
“Al’s surgeon used the word ‘catastrophic.’ That was the clearest declaration of what we were up against,” Roker’s wife, Deborah Roberts, told People. She also said there were moments she didn’t know if her husband would survive.
Roker’s condition was considered “life-threatening,” according to his gastroenterologist, Dr. Felice Schnoll-Sussman.
“There were multiple times when things were quite serious,” Schnoll-Sussman told People.
Roker missed NBC’s coverage of the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while he was away from the “Today” show. He frequently chronicled his status on social media, where his posts were met with supportive messages from his co-hosts and famous friends.
“When Al was gone, you knew there was this huge gaping hole,” “Today” anchor Hoda Kotb told People. “We love him.”
Roker still doesn’t fully understand what he went through during the medical ordeal but feels happy to be doing the “Today” show again.
“It’s good to be back,” Roker said.
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