Al Roker has marked his 69th birthday by saying he feels “glad to be alive.”
The “Today” show weatherman toasted the landmark on Sunday, Aug. 20 after a major health scare last year left him languishing in the hospital for weeks.
He told fans on his Instagram: “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. 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.”
Roker 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, who his eldest daughter had in July.
He added: “A lot to be grateful for on this birthday and glad to be alive. Thank you and take care. Have a great Sunday!”
Roker added the caption: “Grateful for another trip around the sun” and shared a photo of a birthday meal he had from Bimi’s Canteen and Bar in Hudson Valley, New York. Roker was absent from the “Today” show after being hospitalized for weeks for blood clots in his legs and lungs, as well as two bleeding ulcers. He was forced to have his colon resectioned, his gallbladder removed and his small intestine fixed.
Roker revealed on “Today” about his horrific ordeal: “I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was.”
His recovery meant the presenter 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 for a successful knee surgery.
In November 2020, Roker was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had to undergo surgery, but was back on “Today” two weeks after the operation.
