Ty Pennington's near-death illness made him want to 'live to the fullest'
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 12: Ty Pennington of 'Trading Spaces' onstage during the TLC portion of the Discovery Communications Winter TCA Event 2018 at the Langham Hotel on January 12, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Ty Pennington gave fans a health update following his near-death experience involving an abscess on his throat.
"I'm great," Pennington told Entertainment Tonight nearly eight months after his hospitalization. "You know what's great is if you almost die, you get so much attention. It feels so nice to be that loved."
"I'm planning another one... No, I'm kidding!" he joked.
Pennington was intubated and rushed to emergency surgery in 2023, which he calls "very dramatic," after his throat closed due to an abscess in his throat. After his near-death experience, the "Rock the Block" star noted that he learned to live life "to the fullest."
HGTV STAR TY PENNINGTON INTUBATED AFTER ‘BARELY BREATHING’
"It made me realize you just don't know when your timecard's gonna get pulled, so wake up, live every single day to the fullest," Pennington revealed.
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"I mean that's why the 60s is gonna be like time to start doing everything and that's what I love about being part of these projects because I think we all want to make sure we've done things to be remembered."
Pennington told fans he had been hospitalized in July 2023.
"From the red carpet, to the ICU… this last week has been interesting!" he wrote in an Instagram post at the time. He continued, "To shed some light on why I was MIA… Sunday I hit the red carpet for @barbiethemovie , monday I flew to Colorado to start filming in Breckenridge and Tuesday morning I woke up at 4am and could barely breathe."
"Turns out, that sore throat Ive had for the last month was actually an abscess which had grown so large it was closing off my airway," Pennington continued. "Next thing I know, I was intubated and flown to the ICU in Denver. Wednesday I had surgery and yesterday afternoon I was released from the ICU."
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"A great reminder to LISTEN to your body when it’s telling you something," he added.
A representative for Pennington shared a recovery update with Fox News Digital at the time.
"Ty is on the mend and feeling good!" the spokesperson said. "He has been discharged and will recuperate for 10 days and then get back to work on HGTV!"
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