Hoda Kotb Reveals It Was 'Tough' Watching Daughter Hope Endure Recent Health Issue: 'You’re Helpless'
Hoda Kotb is opening up about living every parent's worst nightmare after her daughter Hope was hospitalized earlier this year.
While appearing on the Tuesday, April 25, episode of the “Biscuits & Jam” podcast, the Today anchor gave an update on the little girl's health and having to go through the pain of seeing her child endure the mystery illness.
“To watch her go through a difficult time at just 3 years old is really tough for any parent because you’re helpless,” Kotb — who also has 6-year-old daughter Haley — explained. “But I think you realize just how incredibly resilient and strong she is. I think sometimes you learn life’s lessons from the most amazing places.”
The journalist recalled a moment while she was in the hospital with her child, where the toddler imparted her mother with wisdom beyond her years. “Hope said, ‘You know, I think God put me here to teach people things,'” the 58-year-old noted of the special moment. “I said, ‘What? What? What?’ She said, ‘Yeah, because my brain’s pretty big, so I think I’m supposed to teach people things.'”
“It’s like, [we] learn from our kids. And all we have to do is model; we don’t have to teach anything. Just be you … and then learn from them," Kotb continued, emphasizing how "strong" both of her daughters are.
At the end February into March, the mother-of-two was noticeably absent from her seat at the news desk, leading fans to panic about Kotb's whereabouts. “We can tell you that Hoda has a family health matter that she’s been dealing with," her fill-in anchor, Craig Melvin, explained during the March 31 broadcast.
- Is Hoda Kotb Leaving 'Today' to Care for Her 3-Year-Old Daughter After The Toddler's Health Scare?
- Hoda Kotb Shares Adorable Snap With Daughter Hope, 3, Following Toddler's Terrifying Health Scare
- Hoda Kotb Admits There Was a 'Scary Stretch' of Time After Daughter Hope Was in the ICU Due To Mystery Health Issue: 'There's Nothing You Can Do'
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The proud mama returned to work on March 6, revealing that her baby girl was on the mend. "So for us, it was little Hope had to go to the hospital, and she was in the ICU for a few days and then the hospital for another week and it was really scary," she explained.
"She's vibrant and brilliant," Kotb assured of her daughter. "She's home. She's home. She's home. I'm over the moon that she's home."