There might not be a more grateful person on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route than Al Roker.
The TODAY weatherman returned to his happy place on the broadcast of this year's 97th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday after missing it for the first time since 1995 last year due to health issues.
"Look, I missed last year, I am so thankful to be anywhere this year, but especially here," Al said on TODAY ahead of the parade getting underway.
The Turkey Day fixture, who once had a hilarious "feud" with a guy dressed in a butter costume during the festivities and fielded a call from President Joe Biden along the parade route, was back in his element on Thursday.
This is Al's 29th appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the one he is savoring the most after a serious medical ordeal last year.
In November 2022, Al, 69, was admitted to the hospital with blood clots in his legs that had spread to his lungs. It resulted in him watching the parade from his hospital bed, although he did get discharged from the hospital in time to go home and eat Thanksgiving dinner with his family.
However, Al returned to the hospital in late November due to internal bleeding. Doctors discovered he had two bleeding ulcers and performed a seven-hour surgery to resection his colon, remove his gallbladder and redo his duodenum, part of the small intestine.
His second trip to the hospital caused him to miss the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and he found out later from his family that they were scared they were going to lose him.
Ahead of this year's parade Al reflected on the past year to TODAY.com.
"Life can turn on a dime. ... We know that intellectually, but when you’re faced with it, it really does hit home," he said. "(Life) is an ephemeral gift that we’re given, and you need to appreciate and honor it."