Hoda Kotb has had an eventful week, following the release of her latest children's book, Hope is a Rainbow, which was written in dedication to her youngest daughter, Hope, four, who spent time in ICU last year.
The Today Show star opened up about the brave little girl on Friday during a special luncheon on New York City, where she was honored, and it was safe to say, there wasn't a dry eye in the room!
The NBC star took to the stage at the Hudson River Park Friends 8th Annual Playground Committee Luncheon, attended by HELLO!, to accept her accolade. While there, she told guests about Hope and her inspiring outlook, while opening up more about her little girl's health battle and the important lesson she has learnt as a parent.
"We went through a period of time last year where she [Hope] got sick and it was terrifying," she said.
"What I've learnt from Hope is, number one, we are all stronger than we know, period. Your heart's ability to expand is beyond measure because I thought I loved Hope as much as I loved her and now I realise I love her ten times more."
At that moment, Hoda stopped to catch a breath as she fought back tears, and told the audience that she had been practicing breathing work, which had helped.
She continued: "And, I've learnt that as a parent, if we have a child with an illness, or it could be anything, I learnt don't put your worry on them. Don't place your grown up worries on them. They see our eyes, they know something is wrong. 'Something must be wrong with me, mom's looking at me differently.' So it's a lesson that I'm teaching myself every day, don't put my worry on Hope."
© Dimitrios KambourisHope is resilient and brave, and has the best support system through her doting mom, dad, Joel Schiffman, and big sister Haley, seven.
She wasn't the only Today Show star in attendance at the event either, as co-anchor Dylan Dreyer was the host for the event. Maria Duenas Jacobs, CCO and Co-Founder of Super Smalls, was also honored, while a live auction was hosted by Harry Santa-Olalla.
© Bryan BedderThe annual luncheon, which has been running for seven years, raises crucial funds for the Hudson River Park playground, benefiting the park's public environmental education, playgrounds, sports fields, family programs and more.
The park celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023 and the committee is looking forward to opening a new playground at Pier 97 along with adding more sports fields and year-round educational programming.
Hoda - who is raising her children in NYC herself - opened up about Hope's health battle in an interview with People this week, revealing that she wasn't wanting to disclose what was wrong with her daughter, as she didn't want to put a label on her.
She told the publication: "It's really tricky, because I don’t want Hope to get labeled. She's a kid who is so vibrant, and most days everything is totally fine. I don’t want people to look at her differently."
She added that her ex, Joel, has been a huge help and continues to be a hands-on parent, taking the girls to school while Hoda aims to do pick-up.
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