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'Today' Show Star Al Roker Admits Latest Health Scare Has Been 'Tough,' But He's Feeling 'Strong'
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Dec. 12 2022, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
Al Roker got candid with Today show viewers about how he's recovering on Monday, December 12.
"It's been a tough slog, I'm not going to deny this," Roker told his coworkers Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer. "This has been the hardest one yet — and you know, I've had my fair share of surgeries. But it gives you a profound sense of gratitude for this outpouring of prayers and thanks. I'm a very fortunate person."
"I feel good, I feel strong. And every day, I feel a little bit better," he added.
However, the TV star will not be back on the morning show anytime soon.
"You lose a certain amount of muscle mass for every week you're in the hospital, and I was in the hospital for 4 weeks. So it's just a certain amount of weakness," Roker shared. "I've got to just get my strength back. And in the meantime, I was thinking in January of getting my knee replaced, so I've got to push that back. So I've got a number of issues."
"I just feel like, it's going to be a little bit of a slog but a lot of people have to deal with a lot more with a lot fewer resources," he continued. "I'm very fortune, very blessed to be able to have these resources."
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It's been a crazy few weeks for Roker, who hasn't been on the air in a few weeks. He was first hospitalized for blood clots in his legs and lungs and later sent home. “Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs,” he wrote at the time. “After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery.”
A few weeks later, he was under the weather again. “Due to some complications, he is back in the hospital, and he is in very good care,” Kotb shared on December 1. “He’s resting, and his doctors are keeping a close eye on him.”
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Despite the setback, Roker is grateful for his Today show family.
"You guys have been terrific. Hoda was actually named an honorary doctor! She would literally show up. She did a Houdini; she'd just be there. 'Pay no attention, I'm not a member of the staff,'" he quipped.