Roger Cook is best known as the face of the PBS Home Renovation program This Old House. He has been the gardening and landscaping contractor on that show for decades – since 1988, in fact.
However, he has recently been ill, and in this article, you will read all of the recent updates and everything you need to know about his illness and current life.
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Roger Cook Biography
Roger Cook graduated from the University of Maine in 1977. He studied wildlife management and conservation law.
He is a member of the Massachusetts Arborist Association.
Roger founded the K & R Tree and Landscape Company with his wife, who has since passed away.
He was also the President of the Board of Directors of New England Grows and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts.
He currently lives in Burlington, Massachusetts, and has two children. He also owns a house on Cape Cod.
His late wife, Kathleen, passed away in 2010. She was 56 years old and suffered from gastric cancer.
Roger Cook On This Old House
Roger first appeared on the PBS program This Old House in 1982. This was the same year that he founded his landscaping company with his wife.
At first, he only contributed to some of the projects featured on the show. However, in 1988, he was promoted to a full-time landscape and gardening contractor.
He also appeared in some spin-off shows, such as Inside This Old House and Ask This Old House.
This Old House collaborated with Sunset Books to create a book called Complete Landscaping, which Roger contributed to.
Roger Cook’s Illness
On his latest appearance on the PBS show This Old House, Roger was been
seen limping. There has been a lot of speculation about the cause of this limping.
At first, neither PBS nor Roger himself said anything that could add some clarity to the situation. Some people speculated that since he graduated from college in 1977, he must be old, and that there wasn’t much more to it than that.
Others speculated that there were more serious issues involved. Finally, Roger addressed these speculations in a letter published in This Old House magazine.
The Letter
Roger started off by saying that he was extremely proud of being part of the This Old House program for over 35 years.
He added that he felt that the personal friendships and relationships he managed to create during his time on the program have greatly enhanced his life.
He continued by saying that many of his viewers have probably noticed that his health has been deteriorating. His limp was evidence of that.
Because of his health issues, Roger continued, he decided to reduce his time on the program.
There are a variety of health issues he has been facing, he said, but he would continue to appear occasionally on the program.
Roger asked that everyone respect his and his family’s privacy and added that he was grateful for everyone’s support.
He finished off by saying that he was in good hands and that he truly appreciated his fans’ appreciation of him.
He told his fans not to worry, as they would see other landscaping experts on the show. His break would allow him to spend more time recuperating and taking care of his health, and it would also give him more time to spend with his family.
What’s Going On?
As you can see, Roger didn’t exactly address which illnesses he has been facing in particular in this letter.
However, that did not stop people from speculating.
Some people surmised that he had a back or spine problem that was causing him to limp. Others argued that it was probably a leg problem.
Some people went even further and speculated that it might have been Parkinson’s disease that caused the limping. Others figured that he must have suffered from a heart attack.
Parkinons’s disease is a neurological disease that slowly progresses. It can affect balance, motion, and muscle movement.
Because of this, some people thought that the fact Roger had difficulty walking meant that he had Parkinson’s disease.
A heart attack can also lead to other health problems. Pain in the thighs, which can lead to limping, can be linked to health conditions that also increase the risk for a heart attack.
Then there is the possibility of a stroke. As people get older, they are at a greater risk of experiencing a stroke.
A stroke can lead to weakness or stiffness in muscles and joints. It can also lead to some people losing control over some of their muscles altogether.
As such, it is possible that Roger suffered a stroke and that this is what caused him to limp.
A common symptom that is often suffered after a stroke is something called foot drop.
People with foot drop find it difficult to raise the front parts of their feet because of weakness or lack of control of the muscles necessary for that action.
As such, these people often have difficulty clearing their entire foot from the ground. They may end up dragging or shuffling their feet.
This looks like limping, so it is possible that the limping and other health issues were caused by a stroke.
Other health problems that can occur after a stroke can include weakness, problems with balance and coordination, pain, numbness, tingling sensations, fatigue, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, and more.
If Roger did indeed suffer from a stroke, the health issues he mentioned in his letter can include any of them.
It can also explain why he is taking off time from the show and why he is appearing less and less on the program.
After all, if he suffered a stroke, he may be experiencing a lot of weakness and fatigue.
This would definitely be a valid reason to reduce the frequency of his appearances on the program.
There are other people who speculated that Roger is fighting cancer and therefore does not have the time or energy to appear on the program as before.
Of course, there are many things that can cause a limp. Arthritis is a common cause of pain in the knee and joints, and it can cause a limp.
As people get older, they are more likely to get arthritis, so that could be one of the possible health challenges Roger is facing.
Another possible cause could have been an injury or trauma of some sort. If Roger was involved in an accident of some sort, such as a slip-and-fall, that could have caused the limp.
In addition, he could be facing any combination of the above problems.
However, none of these guesses have been confirmed. In addition, some suggestions are a bit extreme, and there’s no way of knowing whether such serious issues exist.
At the end of the day, Roger asked for privacy. True fans of his will respect that and not try to probe too deeply into what is going on.
Fans’ Response To Roger’s Letter
After Roger wrote the open letter to This Old House magazine, he received an overwhelming response from his fans.
You can see their responses in the comments on the open letter, which was posted online. There are over 300 comments.
Commenters shared the same sentiment – they were sad to see Roger go. They said that they would miss Roger, and that the program would not be the same without him.
Many people expressed their best wishes for Roger. They wished for him to get well soon and that he live many more years in good health.
One commenter said that he learned a lot from the program and that Roger was always an inspiration for him to get things done around the garden.
A commenter by the name of Peter said that when he first saw Roger limping, he hoped that it would turn out to be a minor injury that would pass soon.
He added that he was saddened to hear that it was caused by a more serious issue.
A commenter by the name of ChuckGG said that he himself suffered serious health problems, including cancer, for half a decade, although he is now healthy.
He said that he knows what Roger might be going through and that he wishes him well; he added that he learned a lot from Roger and wanted to express his gratitude.
Sherry mentioned that he talked to Roger personally at a roundtable in Washington, DC.
She said that she noticed then that he was experiencing health problems; she truly was sorry to hear that he was ill and wished him well.
Jeff had a simple yet powerful message: “God Bless you Roger. Get well soon.” All the other commenters on the page apparently shared his sentiments.
What Is Roger Cook’s Net Worth?
Roger Cook has an estimated net worth of around 11 million dollars. Most of his net worth was earned through his involvement in This Old House, though he also earned some money through his other ventures, such as his own landscaping company.
There is no information, however, about the exact salary Roger earned from This Old House. Neither is there any information on how much money he earned from his landscaping business.
Is Roger Cook Married, And Does He Have Children?
Roger is not currently married. He was married to Kathleen Cook, with whom he founded his landscaping company, but she passed away in 2010.
There is not much information about Kathleen Cook.
Roger has two children.
Is Roger Cook On Facebook, Twitter, And Other Social Media Platforms?
Yes! If you are a fan of Roger Cook and would like to stay updated on his life, you can follow him on social media and see his updates.
To start off with, you can like and follow This Old House on Facebook. Although the show posts all kinds of updates related to the program, it will definitely keep their fans updated whenever Roger Cook comes back.
On Twitter, you can follow This Old House, which has over 200,000 followers. They posted in one of their Twitter updates that Roger has seen all the comments wishing him well and also informed their followers about his letter.
However, on Twitter, you can also follow Roger Cook himself. He has over 30,000 followers already.
This is his account. It is verified, so you know for sure that it is his real account and not a fake account set up by a fan or imposter.
However, the account’s tweets are protected. This means that you have to request to follow him to see his updates.
Since he already has over 32,000 followers, you are very likely to be approved, so don’t hesitate to request to follow him!
There are a number of Instagram accounts that use the name Roger Cook or usernames such as This Old Yard.
However, since none of these accounts are verified, you can be sure that they are accounts set up by fans or imposters and not worth following if you are looking for the real Roger Cook.
Roger Cook is not on YouTube. However, if you are a fan of This Old House, and would like to see updates even if you do not have access to PBS programming, you can do so by subscribing to their YouTube channel.
You are likely to see updates and videos featuring Roger Cook as well. In addition, you can see some of his best hits on YouTube by searching for Roger Cook in the search bar.
Roger Cook Illness Summary
Roger Cook has long been loved in the landscaping and gardening industry. This Old House will forever be associated with his name, as he was their contractor for decades.
Roger is not well right now. He is suffering from several undisclosed illnesses.
Although it is possible to guess what those illnesses might be, Roger has asked for privacy. He has also said that he really appreciates everyone’s best wishes.
In an open letter, Roger said he will still make appearances on PBS now and then. If you want to catch him, stay tuned and follow his and all This Old House social media accounts.