The 49-year-old opened up about the procedure and the recovery process during his first appearance back on the show on Oct. 18. Daly went through a “real hardcore” Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion surgery in August, which is essentially when a spinal disc is removed to relieve pressure and replaced with a bone, metal, or plastic spacer. He underwent the procedure after suffering from chronic back pain for years, stemming from a snowmobile accident in 1997. While chatting with TODAY show anchors Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Sheinelle Jones, Daly said that “it worked,” and joked that he’s “18 again.” He went into further detail about his recovery, saying that “there’s a long road ahead,” before touching on the emotional and mental challenges of going through such a life-changing surgery. Daly said, “When you’re in pain and you’re looking to just feel good, that changes your relationship with food and drink and your life. And then when they fix the pain, there are these other complex areas of your life that you need to deal with and realign with.” “So when I say I’m getting better, I’m getting better in a multitude of ways which is great; which is really great. Mentally, physically. The future is bright, but there’s still a lot of work to do.” he continued. One thing in particular that he’s doing a lot of during the recovery period is walking. He said on TODAY, “I’m the Forest Gump of Long Island. I walk everywhere.” Daly also commemorated his return to TODAY with an Instagram post, uploading a picture of himself surrounded by all of his coworkers. He wrote in the caption, “Before surgery my world was getting smaller & darker due to chronic back pain. Now, the future is bright again & I’m excited to get back to being the active dad I used to be.” More News:
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