Whoopi Goldberg Had a 30% Chance of Dying from Pneumonia

During the May 20 episode of “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg had her doctors come to join her to discuss her death scare earlier this year.

The veteran actress went to great lengths to detail her near-fatal episode with pneumonia. The doctors disclosed that it was a rather dangerous situation and that she could have died from complications of the disease.

Her doctors, Dr. Jorge Rodriguez, and Dr. Martin Greenberg, were seated during the show, and they gave well-detailed insights into how sick Goldberg was at the time. The award-winning star’s health declined rapidly late 2018 and peaked early this year, 2019.

Goldberg, unaware of how sick she was, first spoke to her business partner, who called Dr. Rodriguez. Rodriguez, in turn, said that he could decipher how bad the pneumonia had gotten while speaking to Goldberg on the phone.

“She couldn’t breathe, her teeth were chattering, she was obviously in what we call rigors …, and I was afraid that she was septic,” Rodriguez said.

Scared himself, Rodriguez further stated that his heart plummeted after Goldberg told him she wanted to sleep. He humorously explained that he only managed to keep her awake by telling some awful jokes.

Thankfully, Goldberg’s team were able to reach a hospital, and it was there, Greenberg met the actress. The pulmonologist accrued to Rodriguez’s words by explaining Goldberg's condition was indeed terrible.

He explained that the signs were all there, and they included her high fever, shortness of breath, and many more. Greenberg further disclosed that the hospital has an “index,” which indicates how severe a patient's condition is when they get to the emergency room.

“Goldberg had a 30 percent chance of dying or a 1 in 3 chance. It was all hands on deck,” he said.

“The View” team took to Twitter to share a glimpse into the May 20 episode. Avid supporters of Goldberg responded by sending her warm wishes, and some even implored her to take better care of her health.

A user, @acebergtoo tweeted:

“So glad you pulled through @WhoopiGoldberg. You make the world a better and funnier place. The world still needs a whole lot more of you!”

Another @earthangelda55 said:

“Whoopi, [pray] for your continued wellness in your recovery journey. It's nice to have you back on the show.”

It is given that if Goldberg had paid more attention to her health, the disease wouldn't have progressed to the damaging extent it did. Goldberg, who made her “The View” comeback in April, admitted the health scare made her change for the better.

She now takes proper care of herself and has cut back her working schedule.