Al Roker Is Already Walking With His 'New Knee' After Undergoing Replacement Surgery: Photos!
Back in action! After undergoing surgery to fix his "bum knee," Al Roker is already on his feet again, posting a video to his Instagram on Wednesday, May 10, to share his progress.
"Up and walking this morning on the #newknee #stepbystep thanks to @drdavidmayman," he captioned the video, which showed him walking with a walker while dressed in a hospital gown.
The TV star, 68, added he was "wearing a negative pressure pump to help facilitate wound healing." Towards the end of the video — which was set to Dire Straits' tune "Walk of Life" — Roker was even able to climb up and down a short set of steps.
The Today co-host will be taking more time off from the morning program to recover from the procedure, which he called "a replacement of a replacement," as he first had the joint fixed 22 years ago.
The past several months haven't been easy for the dad-of-three, as he had to undergo multiple surgeries in late 2022 due to blood clots. However, things were even worse than he realized.
"I had this internal bleeding going on, I lost half my blood," he explained on the January 6 episode of Today, which marked his first appearance after a two-month hiatus. "They went in, they did surgery, and it ended up two bleeding ulcers. They had to resection the colon, take out my gall bladder."
- Al Roker Reveals He's Undergoing Serious Upcoming Procedure For 'Bum Knee' As Health Woes Continue
- Al Roker's Weary Appearance & Heavy Workload Worries Fans After His Hospitalization: 'Remember To Take Care Of Yourself'
- Al Roker's Wife Deborah Roberts Admits It's 'a Little Bit Harder' for TV Star to 'Snap Back' After Knee Surgery
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"It's been a tough slog, I'm not going to deny this. This has been the hardest one yet — and you know, I've had my fair share of surgeries," he confessed. "But it gives you a profound sense of gratitude for this outpouring of prayers and thanks. I'm a very fortunate person."
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An insider spilled that the unexpected ordeal was equally difficult for his wife, Deborah Roberts, 62.
"Al was a very, very, very sick man and I don’t think most people know that," she said on an episode of Today. "He was a medical mystery for weeks. We were just on pins and needles every day."