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Al Roker Celebrates His 69th Birthday And Overcoming His Health Struggles With An Uplifting Instagram Update: “Glad To Be Alive”

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Yesterday (Aug. 20) marked The Today Show host Al Roker‘s 69th birthday, which, after the year he’s had, he is “more than grateful” to be celebrating on this Earth.

Roker, who first joined The Today Show‘s ensemble of hosts in January 1996, has endured various medical complications over the past year. After being hospitalized due to blood clots in November, he not only missed hosting The Today Show for most of that month, but also was absent from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years.

At the end of November, just one day after he was released, he was rushed back to the hospital, per Page Six.

He didn’t return to The Today Show until January, where he explained that he had “lost half [his] blood.”

Roker’s health issues were prolonged when he needed knee surgery in May, for which he was missing from The Today Show for a little over two weeks.

The meteorologist took to Instagram on Sunday to share a video of him on a walk, which he began by saying, “Good morning, everybody. I hope you’re having a great Sunday.”

“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,” he added. “And to all of you who sent good wishes and well wishes over this past year, God bless ya. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.”

He continued to thank his work families — consisting of his co-workers at Start TODAY and The Today Show — and then proceeded to thank his biological family, which included personal shoutouts to his wife Deborah Roberts, his daughter Leila (who gave him his first grandchild in July), and his son Nick, whom he dropped off at college for his sophomore year on Sunday.

“Take care, have a great Sunday,” he concluded with an air kiss.

According to his Instagram, Roker’s birthday festivities also included a new griddle from his wife, Deborah, pre-birthday Saturday supper, a “yummy birthday dinner,” and a visit from his granddaughter, Sky, whom he deemed as the “best #birthdaypresent.”