Former ‘Today’ Co-Host Explains How Fractures Can Happen After Surgeries Because ‘You Think You’re Better’
The effervescent and beloved Emmy Award-winning TV personality, Kathie Lee Gifford, has penned a new book, “I Want to Matter: Your Life Is Too Short and Too Precious to Waste.” In what could be a chapter straight from her book, Kathie is currently navigating the bumpy road to recovery after a traumatic fall led to a fractured pelvis in not one, but two places.
Kathie, who recently turned 70, found herself in the hospital for a week following the fall. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she cheerfully updated, “I’m doing well! I’m happy to be out of the hospital. As lovely as all those people are to me, they really took good care of me, but there’s no place like home.”
Yes, our dear Kathie was on the mend from a hip replacement surgery when she “just tripped.” And oh, the irony – feeling better doesn’t always mean being better. As she puts it, “This is what happens most of the time – you think you’re better, because you are so much better, and then you feel like you’re back to absolute normal, and you’re not. Our bones, things like that, don’t heal for sometimes months – even though you feel so much better.”
In yet another dose of unintentional tough love from life, Kathie shared that she had to stay in the hospital for physical therapy to regain her strength. One of her friends dropped by her home, coinciding with the unfortunate fall.
Revealing a bit more to People magazine during a book signing in Nashville, Tennessee, Kathie confessed, “I moved 300 books by myself and weakened my body. It’s my own fault.” But hey, she’s earned those bragging rights!
Her active lifestyle, a double-edged sword, is the very reason she underwent hip replacement surgery in the first place. Doctors noted her hips were “down to the nubs,” thanks to her incredibly active lifestyle. Despite the trials, Kathie has no regrets over her choices.
“Would I change that? No, I was doing what God put me on this Earth to do. Every year of it, I was doing what He called me to do,” she affirmed. You can practically hear her invincible spirit echoing through her words.
The road hasn’t been an entirely smooth one. In fact, Kathie described her recovery process as “one of the most painful situations” of her life. She explained, “Following the hip replacement procedure, I jumped off that gurney! But I quickly realized my body wasn’t prepared for such a fast-paced recovery.”
But there’s something inherently resilient about Kathie. Through her formidable charms, laughter, and frank honesty, she’s essentially holding up a mirror to all of us charging through life, trailing a warning – take it slow, folks! Don’t mistake early recovery signs for a full-throttle green light.
Here’s hoping her candid words of wisdom serve not just as a tale of caution but as a reminder of strength, resilience, and finding humor even in life’s inconvenient bumps – quite literally!
Despite the arduous journey and the sudden reminders that our bones may not always keep up with our adventuresome spirits, Kathie remains a steadfast beacon of positivity – showing us that even when life doesn’t go according to plan, there’s power in our response. So take a leaf out of Kathie’s book and hold on to your own journey courageously, with a smile and a sprinkle of wit.
Here’s to many more adventures, Kathie – but maybe with a tad bit more caution.
Stay strong, stay sassy, and stay sensational! The world loves you, Kathie Lee Gifford.