One year following a series of surgeries for unspecified medical conditions, Al Roker is appreciative that his family kept the full scope of his problems a secret from him.
It’s no secret that I had a serious medical problem late last year over Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it’s one of the things I have a newfound appreciation for. And in all honesty, I came very close to death,” Roker stated in a podcast edition of “Your Mama’s Kitchen” that was published on Wednesday.
He said to host Michele Norris, “I didn’t know it at the time, but (wife) Deborah and Leila, my middle girl, were really instrumental in keeping that away from me so I can concentrate” on getting better. “However, I was absent on Thanksgiving. Christmas was almost missed. And I overlooked the significance of those turning points.”
In order to treat two bleeding ulcers, the 69-year-old weatherman for “Today” show had to leave the cameras again in December after being hospitalized in November for blood clots in his leg that had spread to his lungs. “I went in for one operation, I got four free,” he joked when he returned to the show in January after a two-month hiatus.
“I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family, and I was not going to let that happen for Christmas,” Roker stated to Norris. “It gave me something to strive for, thus it was significant to me. I also prepared Christmas dinner.”
In a lighthearted discussion about the holidays, Roker shared the moment his wife, ABC News writer Deborah Roberts, realized he would be okay.
“I had another procedure, and as I was emerging from anesthesia, Roberts was there and asked, ‘How do you feel?’ and I add, “I saw this recipe for a turkey with spatchcock mayonnaise in the New York Times Cooking.” Roker declared, “I’m going to make that for Christmas.” “And she thought, ‘OK, I think he’s going to make it.’”
Additionally, Roker disclosed last week on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” that while he was in the hospital, he was informed that his oldest daughter, Courtney, was expecting his first granddaughter, Sky.
More than anything else, Roberts added, “I think knowing that she was coming along over this last year” helped Roker heal. “Because it’s been a progression, but you’ve just gotten stronger and stronger.”
She continued, “So now when he drops his underwear and his stuff on the floor or whatever and I want to get upset with him, I’m just like, ‘You Know …’”
