Ty Pennington's Remarkable ICU Recovery After Life-Threatening Surgery for Restricting Abscess

Ty Pennington, the previous host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, is currently recovering from a medical procedure to remove an abscess. Sharing an update on Instagram, Pennington, 58, mentioned his recent eventful week from the red carpet to the ICU and assured his followers that he is doing better now and still in the process of recovering.

The former contractor from Trading Spaces attended the red carpet event for Margot Robbie's doll-inspired film on Sunday, July 9. After that, he traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado, to begin filming a new project. He shared on social media that he woke up on Tuesday morning at 4am with difficulty breathing. It turned out that the sore throat he had been experiencing for the past month was actually an abscess that had grown so large that it was blocking his airway. He was admitted to the local hospital, where doctors placed him on a ventilator. He was later airlifted to the ICU in Denver, where he underwent surgery to remove the abscess. The procedure took place one day later, and Pennington was discharged from the ICU on Thursday, July 13.

Ty Pennington Courtesy of Ty Pennington/Instagram

In his post, he expressed his gratitude to the exceptional staff at St. Anthony’s in Lakewood, CO & Summit Health in Frisco for providing exceptional care. He emphasized the importance of listening to our bodies when they communicate something. This serves as a reminder to prioritize our health. Many of Pennington’s followers on social media expressed their well wishes for his prompt recovery in the comments section of his Instagram post. Some even mentioned the potential risks of untreated abscesses, such as sepsis or fatal outcomes.

The HGTV star, who married Kellee Merrell in November 2021, expressed his concern about the potential danger in a post on his Instagram Story. Along with sharing screenshots of the messages, he also expressed his gratitude towards the doctors at Summit Health and St. Anthony's. Pennington's former Trading Spaces costars were also relieved to hear about his recovery.

Genevieve Gorder expressed her relief, saying, "I'm thrilled that you and Kellee are safe! It was truly terrifying." Paige Davis joined in with a playful comment, saying, "Phew! Thank goodness you're still with us, you old rascal." Jasmine Roth, another HGTV designer, chimed in with a similar sentiment, exclaiming, "Oh my goodness Ty! I'm so happy to hear that you're alright. That was quite a scare!"

Pennington, who gained fame as the talented carpenter on TLC's Trading Spaces before transitioning to the design aspect, has openly discussed his commitment to his health and well-being.

"I have never worked out as intensely as I do now - seven days a week (reaching over 50 has proven to be quite a challenge). 'What happened' is, it has been 22 YEARS since I first appeared on television," he shared on Instagram in February 2022. "Sure, I may no longer have a six-pack or trendy frosted hair, but what I possess is wisdom, empathy, valuable life experiences, and at the age of 57, I have genuinely never felt happier! In any case, the point is this: I am human, and I experience emotions."

Pennington continued: “Yes, I am older but I think it’s pretty cool. … I have wrinkles and sunspots and grey hair but that’s OK.”