Al Roker was filled with gratitude while celebrating his 69th birthday on Sunday after last year’s health scare that left him hospitalized for weeks.
“This is my 69th anniversary of orbiting the sun and after everything that I went through at the end of last year I am more than grateful to be celebrating this birthday,” Roker said in an Instagram video on Sunday as he went for a brisk walk.
“And to all of you who sent good wishes and well wishes over the past year, god bless you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”
The “Today” show star also thanked his wife Deborah Roberts, 62, and his three kids Courtney, 36, Leila, 24, and Nick, 21, as well as his new granddaughter Sky, whom his eldest daughter welcomed in July.
“A lot to be grateful for on this birthday and [I’m] glad to be alive,” he said. “Thank you and take care. Have a great Sunday!”
Roker captioned the video, “Grateful for another trip around the sun.”
The weatherman shared a photo of his delicious birthday meal from Hudson Valley restaurant Bimi’s Canteen & Bar.
“A yummy #birthdaydinner at @bimiscanteen tonight in #chathamny,” Roker captioned a photo of his plate filled with steak, potatoes, and greens as well as a glass of red wine.
He also enjoyed a chicken course, and some small appetizers including green olives, fluffy fresh bread, Shishito peppers and salad.
The new grandad also celebrated his birthday by spending time with Sky. He shared a photo cradling his granddaughter, writing on Instagram that she was the “Best #birthdaypresent.”
Last November, Roker was absent from the “Today” show after being hospitalized for weeks for blood clots in his legs and lungs, and two bleeding ulcers. The Daytime Emmy winner’s medical team re-sectioned his colon, removed his gallbladder and redid his duodenum in his small intestine.
“I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was,” Roker recalled on the “Today” show of his “frightening” health scare, joking that he “went in for one operation [and] got four free.”
During his recovery, Roker missed hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years.
Six months after his health scare, Roker was back in the hospital when he had a successful knee surgery.
His wife told Pvnew in May, “More than anything else — with his body fatigue — he just had a moment where he is sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Roker has been struggling with his health in recent years. In November 2020, he revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to undergo surgery. He was back on the “Today” show two weeks after the procedure.
