Beloved weatherman Al Roker has opened up about the medical crisis that nearly killed him last year.
Around this time in 2022, Al faced a health scare like never before.
Al missed being part of NBC’s annual Thanksgiving parade and spending the holiday with his family.
Now, nearly one later, Al’s looking back on that time and sharing how he was determined not to miss another holiday with his loved ones.
Speaking with journalist Michele Norris on Your Mama’s Kitchen podcast, Al didn’t hold back sharing his story.
The Today Show star also credited his wife, Deborah Roberts, for fighting for his care and working with doctors.
Al Roker opens up about ‘severe medical condition’ that nearly killed him last year
The weatherman revealed that his family kept that he nearly died from him so that Al could focus on getting better.
“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,” Al expressed.
Missing Thanksgiving significantly impacted Al, and he was determined not to miss another holiday with his family. Al admitted that drive helped push him to get better, even when things seemed bleak.
“I missed Thanksgiving and almost missed Christmas, and I forgot how important those touchstone moments are,” he shared. “I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family, and I was not going to let that happen for Christmas.”
Michele thought Al was being too hard on himself, but Al admitted he knew that. However, the thought of making Christmas dinner was too important to him, and that pushed him in his recovery.
“I made Christmas dinner,” Al stated.
Al shared that Deborah knew he would be okay when he woke up from surgery and immediately started talking about Christmas dinner recipes.
What was Al Roker’s medical condition?
The TV personality was hospitalized due to blood clots in his legs and lungs, as well as other complications. Al had to undergo a seven-hour surgery to fix all of his internal issues.
At the beginning of November 2022, Al saw his doctor for stomach pain. However, the situation escalated faster than Al or the doctors imagined, baffling everyone. In fact, Al was sent to the hospital twice before the situation became dire.
“Look, I had two complicating things. 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,” Al revealed back in January upon his Today Show return with Deborah by his side.
Al gave his wife mad props for shielding the seriousness of his condition from him so he could focus on his recovery. He’s grateful that Deborah took matters into her own hands, fighting for him and also keeping him in the dark.
Thankfully, today, Al Roker is on the mend and back at work, bringing happiness to millions of viewers. The 69-year-old is looking forward to the upcoming holiday season more than ever after his health crisis.