Hoda Kotb's Daughter Shows Heartwarming Generosity
- Today host Hoda Kotb, 57, shared a story with her audience about how her five-year-old adopted daughter, Haley Joy, opted to spend the allowance she earned from doing chores. She explained that Haley gets a quarter for each chore she does from a chart, such as making her bed. After saving up some of that money, Kotb, 57, asked her daughter what she wants to do with it.
- Her daughter immediately replied she wanted to buy an ice cream for Mo, a man she knew from a local restaurant. The proud mother set it up so that Haley could buy Mo a treat on a day that turned out to be her birthday.
- Although Hoda Kotb can share these heartwarming stories now, not too long ago she was dealing with harder times, having been diagnosed with breast cancer.
- Her struggles didn't end once she was declared cancer free. In her role as a public figure, Hoda Kotb has been very open about struggling with her fertility in the wake of her cancer.
On Tuesday, Kotb shared a story with her audience about how her five-year-old daughter, Haley Joy, opted to spend the allowance she earned from doing chores. She explained that Haley gets a quarter for each chore she does from a chart, such as making her bed. After saving up some of that money, Kotb, 57, asked her daughter what she wants to do with it.
Read More“Then we see him randomly on the street. And he said, ‘Why did you want to know my favorite ice cream? And [Haley] said, ‘Well, I’ve been doing my chores all week and I want to get you an ice cream,'” Kotb said.
A day later, the family met Mo at the ice cream shop.
“She took her money out of her Ziploc and she got the biggest hug. Afterwards, we sat down Hope, Haley, me and Mo and he said, ‘Do you know why this cone is extra special today? And Haley said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Because it’s my birthday,'” said Kotb.
The small act of kindness had Kotb reflecting on how things come around when a person’s heart is in the right place.
“I was just thinking, like when you do something kind, the universe cooperates,” she said. “Like it happened to have been his birthday on that day with the ice cream?”
"When you do something kind, the universe cooperates" –@hodakotb 🥺 pic.twitter.com/jJ1hiy6pF4
TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) July 12, 2022
The story came just a day after Kotb reunited with her Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager following some vacation time off.
Hoda's Cancer Battle
Although Kotb is back to work, it wasn't so long ago that she was facing a major battle.
In February 2007, she was told that lumps discovered in her breast tissue during a routine exam were, in fact, breast cancer. At 43-years-old, she underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. She then was put on a regime of the drug tamoxifen (Nolvadex) for the next five years.
"Cancer shaped me, but it did not define me. It's part of me, but not all of me," Hoda Kotb said at an annual Breast Cancer Research Foundation New York Symposium and Awards Luncheon in 2017.
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Hoda Kotb's Struggle With Fertility
Her struggles didn't end once she was declared cancer free. In her role as a public figure, Hoda Kotb has been very open about struggling with her fertility in the wake of her cancer.
"I remember that my oncologist called, and we were talking about freezing my eggs," Kotb told Good Housekeeping. "She basically said that given my age and (my breast cancer treatment), it was pretty close to a dead-end."
Her reaction was, understandably, filled with sorrow. And at that moment, she doubted she'd ever realize her dream of becoming a mother.
"I was in my room, and I just sobbed. I thought, 'Well, that's that, isn't it?,'" Hoda Kotb said. "Like, you almost blame yourself. 'Why didn't I do this? Why didn't I do that?' So I just pushed it away because the reality seemed impossible to bear.
"How do you survive knowing you can't have what you desire and what you feel like you actually physically need?"
But Kotb persevered and is now the proud mother of two daughters. She, along with her now ex-husband Joel Schiffman, a 64-year-old financer, adopted Haley Joy, 5, in 2017 and two years later, adopted Hope Catherine, 3. Though she and Schiffman are no longer together, she has publically thanked him for supporting her during her quest to become a mother.
"I don't think I would've adopted if it hadn't been for Joel," she said of Schiffman. "Having a stable relationship in that moment was really important. Once that fell into place, it didn't seem as scary to me."
The Resilience of Cancer Warriors
Although cancer is a major challenge, there is no shortage of stories showing the resiliency of humans facing daunting circumstances and persevering.
Danielle Ripley-Burgess, a two-time colon cancer survivor, is another resilient cancer survivor like Casey DeSantis. She was first diagnosed with colon cancer in high school and proceeded to beat the disease not once, but twice.
Understandably so, Ripley-Burgess has had to work through a lot of complex emotions that came with her cancer journey. Even still, she's always managed to look at life with a positive attitude.
"As I've worked through the complex emotions of cancer, I've uncovered some beautiful things: Wisdom. Love. Life purpose. Priorities," she previously told SurvivorNet. "I carry a very real sense that life is short, and I'm grateful to be living it! This has made me optimistic. Optimism doesn't mean that fear, pain and division don't exist they do. Our world is full of negativity, judgment, and hate. Optimism means that I believe there's always good to be found despite the bad, and this is what my life is centered around."
After going through something as difficult as cancer, Ripley-Burgess now goes through life with a sense of purpose. Happily in remission today, she's determined to, one day, leave the world better than she found it.
"We can choose to stay positive, treat others with respect and look for the light in spite of the darkness," she said. "This type of attitude and behavior will lead to the kind of legacies I believe all of us hope to leave."
Remarkable Breast Cancer Survivors
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