Whoopi Goldberg, 63, says she is 'grateful to be alive' after serious pneumonia and sepsis scare: 'It really took me down'
Whoopi Goldberg is counting her blessings.
The 63-year-old Oscar-winning actress and longtime host of The View is now on the other side of a rather serious health crisis. She thought she had a common cold last fall but then found out it had turned into pneumonia and eventually sepsis by this spring.
The actress told People she considers herself 'very, very lucky' to be alive.
Counting her blessings: Whoopi Goldberg, seen here in New York City in June, is now on the other side of a rather serious health crisis, when what she thought was a common cold last fall turned into pneumonia and eventually sepsis this spring
In February, Goldberg was diagnosed with pneumonia in both of her lungs. She also caught a case of the even more serious condition known as sepsis, in which the body responds to an infection by destroying tissue and even shutting down vital organs.
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The health scare took the TV personality out of circulation for a month and a half, and her doctors told her she had a 30 percent chance of dying.
'The doctor told me, "Listen, you’re not going anywhere tomorrow and you’re not going anywhere next week because you are really sick,"' the Ghost actress remembers.
Out sick: Goldberg, seen here on set with co-host Joy Behar in late May, was forced to take a six-week break from hosting duties on The View
Lessons learned: 'I hope that this is a cautionary tale for people. You have to take the time to take care of yourself,' Goldberg told People. Seen in 2014 with Taylor Swift and her View co-stars
During her time at the hospital, Goldberg had to undergo procedures that drained her lungs of excess fluid, with a catheter put in place to continuously drain the space between her lungs and chest wall.
She was forced to take a six-week break from hosting duties on The View.
While Goldberg has been back on the program since mid-March, her road to full recovery continues.
'It’s going to be a while before I’m back to 100 percent,' she told People. 'It really took me down, but I’m getting there.'
Not your typical movie star! Here the star is seen with little glam as she poses for a portrait in NYC
'I never thought of pneumonia as something that serious. In my mind I wasn’t that sick,' Whoopi continued. 'I hope that this is a cautionary tale for people. You have to take the time to take care of yourself.'
According to The American Lung Association, the flu can be to blame for causing pneumonia, and every winter flu season can carry substantial risk.
'I’m lucky to be alive. I’m happy to be alive,' Goldberg concluded. 'I’m grateful to be alive.'
This comes after the star said she was not meant to be married.
Wedded bliss? The comedienne was also wed to cinematographer David Claessen between 1986 and 1988
Goldberg tied the knot three times because she thought it was 'expected' of her.
The funny lady was married to Alvin Martin between 1973 and 1979, with whom she shares her actress-producer daughter Alexandrea, 46.
The comedienne was also wed to cinematographer David Claessen between 1986 and 1988 and union organizer Lyle Trachtenberg between 1994 and 1995.
But she has insisted they never worked out because she couldn't 'share' things with them. 'Look, people expect you to have a boyfriend. They expect you to get married,' the Ghost actress told the New York Times magazine on July 3.
Another husband: She was married to union organizer Lyle Trachtenberg between 1994 and 1995
'So I kept trying to do that, but I didn’t want to share information with somebody else. I didn’t want anybody asking me why I was doing what I was doing, or to have to make the other person feel better,' she said.
'But if you’re in a relationship, you have to do those things, and it took me a while to figure out that I didn’t want to. '
She has also dated former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton from 1990 until 1991 and Ted Danson from 1992 until 1994.
