Whoopi Goldberg Is 'Lucky to Be Alive' after near Fatal Scare from Double Pneumonia

Whoopi Goldberg was close to “leaving the earth,” as she said last March, and now, she’s counting her blessings. The actress and TV host fell ill last February when she was diagnosed with pneumonia on both lungs, a disease that she never thought of “as something that serious.”

Whoopi Goldberg is still recovering from a deathly health scare that left her hospital bound for nearly a month.

The 63-year-old “The View” co-host first caught a cold last fall, and at the time she couldn’t have imagined that she would end up hospitalized and with doctors telling her she was very close to her death.

A SCARY DIAGNOSE

Goldberg took a leave of absence from the show on February 6 but didn’t explain her reasons. However, as weeks went by, fans started to worry about Goldberg’s health, and that’s when her co-host Joy Behar addressed their concerns, giving a quick update on Whoopi’s condition.

A few days later, Whoopi sent a video message to share a health update, saying: “I came very, very close to leaving the Earth.”

“It’s going to be a while before I’m back to 100 percent. It really took me down, but I’m getting there."

Goldberg was diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs. She also had sepsis, a severe condition caused by the body’s response to an infection that can lead to tissue damage and organ failure.

While in the hospital, doctors had to drain Whoopi’s lungs twice with a procedure called thoracentesis, which consists of inserting a needle in the space between the lungs and the chest wall to remove the fluid. Doctors also placed a catheter to keep removing fluid continuously.

STANDING ON DEATH’S DOORSTEP

“I never thought of pneumonia as something that serious. In my mind I wasn’t that sick,” Goldberg admitted to People on their newest issue. “The doctor told me, ‘Listen, you’re not going anywhere tomorrow, and you’re not going anywhere next week because you are really sick.”

The comedian ended up taking six weeks away from the cameras and finally returned on March 18.

But she’s still on her road to a full recovery and taking things slow.

“It’s going to be a while before I’m back to 100 percent. It really took me down, but I’m getting there,” she confessed.

A SLOW ROAD TO RECOVERY

Whoopi says she has cut down her schedule considerably and has to rest, adding:

“There’s no getting around it. In the morning I go and do the show, then afterward I have my other work, and by 3 o’clock, I have to sit down. I have to stop. It’s taking a little while, but I’m getting there.

The "Gosht" actress hopes her story can set an example and encourage people to take care of their health.

“I hope that this is a cautionary tale for people,” she said. “You have to take the time to take care of yourself.”

“I’m lucky to be alive. I’m happy to be alive,” Goldberg concluded. “I’m grateful to be alive.”