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'
Hoda Kotb has been through a lot in the past year.
The Today anchor, 57, got candid about her 4-year-old-daughter Hope's health battle, which landed her in the intensive care unit (ICU) for several days last year.
"We had a scary stretch," Kotb revealed of her child's medical crisis, choosing to not name her directly. "Any parent who’s been through a scary thing with their child understands."
"It’s like you just can’t believe that your child’s sick," the journalist continued. "You can’t believe that there’s nothing you can do. You can’t believe that no matter what you do, you can’t will it away or protect her, or all the things that we’re supposed to be doing as parents. And it’s a position I’ve never found myself in."
One year later, Kotb, who also shares 7-year-old adopted daughter Hayley with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, confirmed her little one's condition has "stabilized," but she's tried her best to keep her kiddo sheltered from any anxiety about the situation.
"It's really tricky, because I don't want Hope to get labeled," she noted. "She's a kid who is so vibrant, and most days everything is totally fine. I don't want people to look at her differently."
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"I’m not going to put my worry on her. It’s too much for a kid to carry,” Kotb explained. "Even just always saying, ‘How are you feeling? You feeling good today, honey?’ is saying, ‘I’m worried,’ because you’re not saying that about your other child. I’ll be discussing how it’s going with the nanny, the nurse, whoever, and if she’s there, she’s like, ‘Am I okay?’ I’m trying so hard to let her be a kid and not have all of the grown-up worries."
With the stress over her child's well-being, the NBC personality has made it a priority to make time for herself. "When you're dead on your feet, you can't really function," Kotb said while adding that every Thursday, she takes time to meet a friend or go on a date.
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"I feel like you need one day to recharge. And I realized when I wasn't doing that, I was so depleted — you're nothing to anybody," she added.
While Kotb navigated this tricky time, she leaned on her fellow morning newscaster Savannah Guthrie for support. When the children's author recently threw her eldest daughter a birthday party, the former attorney stepped in to help the single mom.
"She goes, 'I'll hold court. I got it. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll talk to all these moms,'" Kotb explained of Guthrie.
People conducted the interview with Kotb.