Al Roker Gets Emotional As He Details the True Extent of His Health Issues
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Almost a year after Al Roker battled serious health issues that took him off the air, he's opening about how it truly impacted him.
Fans of the Today show host may remember that Al went on leave in November 2022 after being hospitalized for blood clotting issues in his leg and lungs. During that timeframe, he missed being a part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years. While viewers eventually saw him make his triumphant return to the air in early January, he never explicitly discussed what those days were like for him and his family. But when he appeared on a November 8 episode of Michele Norris' Your Mama's Kitchen podcast, he revealed the true extent of just how serious his medical issues were.
"It’s no secret that I had a severe medical issue, and to be completely honest, I almost died," he emotionally revealed on the podcast, per TVInsider. "I didn’t know it at the time... But I missed Thanksgiving and almost missed Christmas and I forgot how important those touchstone moments are."
But that wasn't the only thing Al disclosed about his health scare. At the time, the NBC meteorologist detailed how his loved ones didn't want to tell him how grave the situation was so he could concentrate on recovering. But he explained that his wife Deborah Roberts realized he would be all right after he came out of anesthesia and started talking about a dish he wanted to prepare for Christmas.
"I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family," he added. "I was not going to let that happen for Christmas... It was important to me and gave me something to push for, and I made Christmas dinner."
Thankfully, Al is doing much better and making sure to spend time with his family and close friends, including his new granddaughter Sky Clara (whose mom is Al's daughter Courtney Laga). And hopefully, we'll get the chance to see him walking alongside the floats at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23.
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