Over the past few months, Al Roker has had some health challenges relating to blood clots in his leg. Roker, 68, recently shared the details of his health challenges during the Friday episode of the Today show. The weatherman narrated his experience, first touching on the hours of surgery he underwent.
The trouble started when Roker began experiencing stomach pains in early November. That visit opened the floodgates to a host of other issues, Roker tells the audience and hosts of the show.
“Look, I had two complicating things,” Roker said. “I had blood clots, which they think came up after I had COVID in September. And then I had this internal bleeding; I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was.”
Al’s wife, Deborah Roberts, and a correspondent for ABC News also joined him on the show to discuss his health condition.
“Al was a very, very, very sick man … most people didn’t know that, ” added Roberts, 62. “Two doctors led this brilliant team — a team — who had to figure out what was happening. He was a medical mystery for a couple of weeks. And it was the most tumultuous, frightening journey we have been on.”
Doctors solved the mystery during the 7-hour surgery when they discovered the husband and father had two bleeding ulcers. To rectify the issue, the medical professionals had to resect Roker’s colon, remove his gallbladder, and perform an operation on his duodenum. This was the weatherman’s first time in the surgical intensive care unit.
“I went into for one operation; I got four free,” joked Roker. “So I got that going for me.”
Roberts was extremely supportive throughout the process and worked with doctors to ensure her husband got the help he needed. She also didn’t disclose all the details to Roker so he could focus on recovering. She says he had to undergo several tests
“Thank god for Deborah,” he said on the third hour of Today. “She basically shielded me from all of this. I’m a living example of ignorance as bliss. I was able to put all my energy into recuperating because I didn’t know how bad this was. … I thought I was doing good!”
“It’s not lost on us that this is a major, major thing for Al to be here,” Roberts said on Today. “He is a living breathing miracle. And I’m not overstating it, I think.”
Rogers thanked everyone who sent well wishes and prayed for her family.
“There was a prayer circle you wouldn’t believe. Not only from our family, you all, my colleagues, but perfect strangers. I was walking down the street — anytime I went someplace, ‘I’m paying for your husband.’ The amount of goodwill towards you, I will never, ever ever forget and never take for granted.”
The ABC correspondent said Roker’s health scare has changed her, and she is in ‘awe’ of her husband’s strength. The couple has been together for 25 years. They reached that landmark in September 2022. They married in 1995 and met on the set of the Today show.
“Al didn’t like to be vulnerable and weak, in his mind. Through that weakness and his vulnerability, he showed strength, and I will never, ever forget that example,” she said, adding that she also learned the importance of patience. “I’ve never been good at patience. I’m ready to get on with it; we all work in television. I have learned the power of patience. We all have to go with that.”
Roker added that he didn’t want his family to see him vulnerable as men are supposed to be ‘strong.’ He also said the experience reminded him about the importance of family. Roker has three children—Courtney, 35, Leila, 24, and Nick, 20.
“Lelia spent those first five nights sleeping in the hospital,” he said, noting one of those nights was her birthday. “Finally, I said, sweetie, you gotta go home!”
The Today show news anchor was absent from the show from early November until January 2023. We are glad he’s doing better and is strong enough to tell his story.