KDKA Radio host Marty Griffin has spent the past week in three cities and two Intensive Care Units — but fans needn’t worry, he’s recovering quickly.
The longtime radio host and Pittsburgh native developed bilateral pneumonia and sepsis while on a trip to New York City and New Jersey recently.
In an interview, Griffin said that he’s feeling “so-so,” but much better than he was earlier this week when horrible chest pain brought him to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland. His experience in the hospital has been exemplary.
“It’s actually phenomenal. … They throw the best doctors in the world at you,” he said.
He also said that the care here is significantly better than the care he received at another ICU in New Jersey last week before returning home to Pittsburgh.
“I’m not trying to be a jerk here, it’s like the difference between Mayberry and New York City in terms of scale,” he added.
Griffin developed pneumonia — an infection that inflames the air sacs within the lungs — as a result of aspirating. He is a former throat and neck cancer patient who suffers from acid reflux.
“Always pay attention to the warning signs of your body,” Griffin said. “And never, ever reach outside your border of what makes you sick. I’m a talk show host prone to hyperbole, as you probably know. My career is kind of based around it. But this was legitimate. I was scared a little. They got it under control with two days in the ICU, intense antibiotics, and around-the-clock care.”
He has posted several times on social media sites about his illness and recovery, and responses have been mixed from fans and “haters” alike. “There are people who actually hoped I would die,” he said.
But messages of hope and well-wishes have poured out as well, including a text from Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Griffin intends to be back on the radio on Monday.