Truly Inspiring

Al Roker And Deborah Roberts Open Up About Their Son Overcoming Major Adversities

March 14, 2018 13:46PM

15-year-old Nicholas has been dealing with developmental delays since he was young.

Al Roker and Deborah Roberts reporting about the news and weather daily, but rarely have audiences gotten a glimpse into this married couple’s private life and the struggles they’ve faced, particularly with their son Nicholas. They opened up for the first time about how he has dealt with developmental delays since he was very young, and how he’s overcome so many of those adversities as the years have gone by. Click through for the heartwarming story.

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Photo credit: Getty

Al and Deborah took to the red carpet with their dapper son for the 2018 ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala at Cipriani’s 42nd Street in New York City on Thursday night.

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Best part of being away at @pyeongchang2018winterolympics and @todayshow is seeing @debrobertsabc @nickr629 and Pepper when you arrive at @jfkairport

A post shared by Al Roker (@alroker) on Feb 24, 2018 at 5:53pm PST

They talked to PEOPLE exclusively about their son's struggles for the first time ever, saying “He was dealing with some developmental delays.”

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‪Big #thanks to Brian Cashman and the @Yankees for last minute Tix to tonight’s #ALCS game against the @astros for me and @RokeNicholas ‬

A post shared by Al Roker (@alroker) on Oct 18, 2017 at 4:20pm PDT

“We hope that more people will be open to expressing and maybe sharing that a lot of us are dealing with challenges in life,” Deborah expressed. “There has been a stigma over the years, especially if it’s not an obvious challenge that people know, and I think to be able to share and inspire and to give other people the encouragement, I think that life can be enriched and can be better and can be in some ways richer when you are loving and supporting and dealing with somebody who is dealing with challenges.”

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A nice way to #wakeup on a #sunday #birthday #morning with #family

A post shared by Al Roker (@alroker) on Aug 20, 2017 at 7:39am PDT

Deborah mentioned that “it was pretty apparent that he was facing some challenges, and we weren’t sure what his world and what our future would be,” after their son was born. However, after assembling a team of therapists, they were able to watch Nicholas, as Al would say, “blossom”.

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Watch #todaystake @todayshow #tomorrow #morning to see yours truly #bounce the #firstpitch #tonight at @citifield @mets vs. @rangers

A post shared by Al Roker (@alroker) on Aug 8, 2017 at 6:28pm PDT

“We wondered was he going to speak? Was he going to walk? And in no time, he was running and talking more than I thought he would ever do,” Deborah added. “He eventually began to go to school, and to learn, and to read, and to do all those things that we dreamed and hoped he would do even with all his challenges. He began to dream. He became a swimmer. He joined Taekwondo and three years ago, he became a black belt.”

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Photo credit: Getty

It’s a life lesson to which many people can attest. "When given the opportunity and the encouragement, and the support, so many of us can just exceed beyond our wildest dreams,” Deborah explained.

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Photo credit: Getty

What are your thoughts on Al & Deborah’s story? Sound off in the comments!

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Al and Deborah took to the red carpet with their dapper son for the 2018 ADAPT Leadership Awards Gala at Cipriani’s 42nd Street in New York City on Thursday night.

They talked to PEOPLE exclusively about their son's struggles for the first time ever, saying “He was dealing with some developmental delays.”

“We hope that more people will be open to expressing and maybe sharing that a lot of us are dealing with challenges in life,” Deborah expressed. “There has been a stigma over the years, especially if it’s not an obvious challenge that people know, and I think to be able to share and inspire and to give other people the encouragement, I think that life can be enriched and can be better and can be in some ways richer when you are loving and supporting and dealing with somebody who is dealing with challenges.”

Deborah mentioned that “it was pretty apparent that he was facing some challenges, and we weren’t sure what his world and what our future would be,” after their son was born. However, after assembling a team of therapists, they were able to watch Nicholas, as Al would say, “blossom”.

“We wondered was he going to speak? Was he going to walk? And in no time, he was running and talking more than I thought he would ever do,” Deborah added. “He eventually began to go to school, and to learn, and to read, and to do all those things that we dreamed and hoped he would do even with all his challenges. He began to dream. He became a swimmer. He joined Taekwondo and three years ago, he became a black belt.”

It’s a life lesson to which many people can attest. "When given the opportunity and the encouragement, and the support, so many of us can just exceed beyond our wildest dreams,” Deborah explained.

What are your thoughts on Al & Deborah’s story? Sound off in the comments!

Sound off in the comments below!

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