After a health scare put her 3-year-old toddler in the ICU, Hoda Kotb finally shared a first photo of little Hope. In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday, June 6, the 58-year-old Today show journalist cuddled up on the floor with her two kids, Hope and Hailey, 6, for a casual snap. Karen Swensen, also an anchor, joined the girls with her own daughter Catherine. Both Hope and Hailey snuggled up into Catherine’s lap, and everyone looked radiant with contentment. Little Hope wore a colorful tie-dyed top with yellow leggings, and accessorized with a necklace made of shells. Hoda wore a pair of lilac pants, a periwinkle sleeveless blouse, and a pair of sneakers. Hoda’s pic has significance on the heels of the health scare that took her off the air for a two week leave of absence. She captioned the pic with a simple heart emoji and tagged her pals in the photo.
The TV star’s followers flooded the comments thread with well-wishes. “So much love in that beautiful picture! It emanates trust, security, kindness, girl power, positivity, and SMILES!” wrote a fan, while another remarked, “Your girls are perfect.” “Hoda, your girls are always so happy, just like you. Love it,” commented a third.
The pic comes three months after the Today Show anchor revealed that a “family health issue” had derailed her regularly appearances on the program, mid-February. On March 6, Hoda revealed her daughter was finally home. “Little Hope had to go to the hospital, and she was in the ICU for a few days, and then the hospital for another week, and it was really scary,” she said on the show. She also expressed gratitude for the support amid the health scare. “[Hope’s] vibrant and brilliant. She’s home,” she said in part. “I’m over the moon that she’s home, and I can’t believe how amazing people are.”
On May 15, she opened up about how things are going since then. “She’s doing better,” Hoda told Page Six at the Webby Awards “There’s still a long road to go, but she’s doing much better. We’re making great progress. This kid is full of healing light, as I say to her.”