Al Roker.Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via GettyAl Rokeris counting his blessings.On Tuesday, whileco-hosting the 3rd hour ofToday, the 66-year-old television personality revealed that he initially thought about postponing his annual physical amid the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic, but was thankful he went ahead — the checkup led to his prostate cancer diagnosis.“Listen, I was going to put off my annual checkup, [but I] decided back in September, let me just get this done,” Roker said during the morning broadcast. “And if I hadn’t, [doctors] would not have detected the prostate cancer, which was very aggressive.““My outlook and outcome might have been completely different, so I cannot stress enough to people, go out there and get your checkup, make sure you get checked,” Roker continued, as hisTodayco-host,Craig Melvin, agreed.“There’s a cautionary tale,” Melvin, 41, said. “There’s enough of a reason to do it right now.“Al Roker.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/GettyBack in November, when Roker revealed that he wasdiagnosed with prostate cancerduring aTodaybroadcast, he said that he would undergo surgery the following week to have his prostate removed.Roker said he wanted to publicly share his health battle to raise awareness about the form of cancer, which affects one in nine men.“It’s a good news–bad news kind of thing,” he said at the time. “Good news is we caught it early. Not-great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.““We’ll just wait and see, and hopefully in about two weeks I’ll be back [on the show],” he added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The cancer was detected during a routine physical when his doctor found that he had an “elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA)” in his bloodwork results. The father of three then had an MRI and a biopsy that confirmed the cancer on Sept. 29.“When he started, he closed his door and said, ‘I always like to have these discussions face to face,'” Roker recalled of being told the diagnosis. “And I was like, ‘Uh oh. Well, that doesn’t sound good.’ … You hear the word cancer and your mind goes — it’s the next level, you know?“Roker said he attended the doctor’s appointment alone but regrets not having his wife of 25 years, Deborah Roberts, there with him.“I feel badly, because I didn’t tell Deborah to come with me,” he said. “In hindsight, boy I wish I’d told her to come. … She was upset. And once she got past that, the reporter in her kinda took over. And then she’s been at everything ever since.“RELATED VIDEO: Al Roker Shares an Update on His Health After Cancer Battle: I’m Doing Fine!Later in November, Rokerunderwent surgeryfor the prostate cancer and gave fans an update on his health, writing on his Twitter and Instagram account, “Relieved to let you all know that my #prostatecancer surgery is done and back home.”
Al Roker.Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Al Rokeris counting his blessings.On Tuesday, whileco-hosting the 3rd hour ofToday, the 66-year-old television personality revealed that he initially thought about postponing his annual physical amid the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic, but was thankful he went ahead — the checkup led to his prostate cancer diagnosis.“Listen, I was going to put off my annual checkup, [but I] decided back in September, let me just get this done,” Roker said during the morning broadcast. “And if I hadn’t, [doctors] would not have detected the prostate cancer, which was very aggressive.““My outlook and outcome might have been completely different, so I cannot stress enough to people, go out there and get your checkup, make sure you get checked,” Roker continued, as hisTodayco-host,Craig Melvin, agreed.“There’s a cautionary tale,” Melvin, 41, said. “There’s enough of a reason to do it right now.“Al Roker.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/GettyBack in November, when Roker revealed that he wasdiagnosed with prostate cancerduring aTodaybroadcast, he said that he would undergo surgery the following week to have his prostate removed.Roker said he wanted to publicly share his health battle to raise awareness about the form of cancer, which affects one in nine men.“It’s a good news–bad news kind of thing,” he said at the time. “Good news is we caught it early. Not-great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.““We’ll just wait and see, and hopefully in about two weeks I’ll be back [on the show],” he added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The cancer was detected during a routine physical when his doctor found that he had an “elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA)” in his bloodwork results. The father of three then had an MRI and a biopsy that confirmed the cancer on Sept. 29.“When he started, he closed his door and said, ‘I always like to have these discussions face to face,'” Roker recalled of being told the diagnosis. “And I was like, ‘Uh oh. Well, that doesn’t sound good.’ … You hear the word cancer and your mind goes — it’s the next level, you know?“Roker said he attended the doctor’s appointment alone but regrets not having his wife of 25 years, Deborah Roberts, there with him.“I feel badly, because I didn’t tell Deborah to come with me,” he said. “In hindsight, boy I wish I’d told her to come. … She was upset. And once she got past that, the reporter in her kinda took over. And then she’s been at everything ever since.“RELATED VIDEO: Al Roker Shares an Update on His Health After Cancer Battle: I’m Doing Fine!Later in November, Rokerunderwent surgeryfor the prostate cancer and gave fans an update on his health, writing on his Twitter and Instagram account, “Relieved to let you all know that my #prostatecancer surgery is done and back home.”
Al Rokeris counting his blessings.
On Tuesday, whileco-hosting the 3rd hour ofToday, the 66-year-old television personality revealed that he initially thought about postponing his annual physical amid the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic, but was thankful he went ahead — the checkup led to his prostate cancer diagnosis.
“Listen, I was going to put off my annual checkup, [but I] decided back in September, let me just get this done,” Roker said during the morning broadcast. “And if I hadn’t, [doctors] would not have detected the prostate cancer, which was very aggressive.”
“My outlook and outcome might have been completely different, so I cannot stress enough to people, go out there and get your checkup, make sure you get checked,” Roker continued, as hisTodayco-host,Craig Melvin, agreed.
“There’s a cautionary tale,” Melvin, 41, said. “There’s enough of a reason to do it right now.”
Al Roker.Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty
Back in November, when Roker revealed that he wasdiagnosed with prostate cancerduring aTodaybroadcast, he said that he would undergo surgery the following week to have his prostate removed.
Roker said he wanted to publicly share his health battle to raise awareness about the form of cancer, which affects one in nine men.
“It’s a good news–bad news kind of thing,” he said at the time. “Good news is we caught it early. Not-great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.”
“We’ll just wait and see, and hopefully in about two weeks I’ll be back [on the show],” he added.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The cancer was detected during a routine physical when his doctor found that he had an “elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA)” in his bloodwork results. The father of three then had an MRI and a biopsy that confirmed the cancer on Sept. 29.
“When he started, he closed his door and said, ‘I always like to have these discussions face to face,'” Roker recalled of being told the diagnosis. “And I was like, ‘Uh oh. Well, that doesn’t sound good.’ … You hear the word cancer and your mind goes — it’s the next level, you know?”
Roker said he attended the doctor’s appointment alone but regrets not having his wife of 25 years, Deborah Roberts, there with him.
“I feel badly, because I didn’t tell Deborah to come with me,” he said. “In hindsight, boy I wish I’d told her to come. … She was upset. And once she got past that, the reporter in her kinda took over. And then she’s been at everything ever since.”
RELATED VIDEO: Al Roker Shares an Update on His Health After Cancer Battle: I’m Doing Fine!
Later in November, Rokerunderwent surgeryfor the prostate cancer and gave fans an update on his health, writing on his Twitter and Instagram account, “Relieved to let you all know that my #prostatecancer surgery is done and back home.”
source: people.com
