Ty Pennington's near-death illness made him want to 'live to the fullest'

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Ty Pennington shares with Fox News Digital the most rewarding part of his career

Ty Pennington has been in the home renovation industry for decades, with "Rock the Block" being on the air since 2019.

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’

HGTV star Ty Pennington gave a health update nearly eight months after he was rushed into emergency surgery for an abscess on his throat. (Getty Images / Instagram: Ty Pennington)

"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. 

"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."

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Ty Pennington had to be intubated following a red carpet event when he "could barely breathe." (Instagram: Ty Pennington)

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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Ty Pennington was hospitalized in 2023 shortly after attending the "Barbie" premiere. (Getty Images)

"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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