'I came very, very close to leaving the Earth': Whoopi Goldberg opens up on 'The View' about pneumonia battle

Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of "The View," opened up today about her extended absence from the show in a videotaped message played for the audience in which she revealed a battle with pneumonia.

"I am here; I am up and moving around," said Goldberg in the message. "Not as fast as I'd like to be, but I am OK. I'm not dead."

Goldberg, who last appeared on the show Feb. 5, said that she had been battling "septic pneumonia" in both lungs.

"I came very, very close to leaving the Earth," she said. "Good news: I didn't."

Pneumonia alone is a serious condition, and paired with sepsis, it can be life-threatening.

Sepsis is "a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to an infection," according to the Mayo Clinic. "The body normally releases chemicals into the bloodstream to fight an infection. Sepsis occurs when the body's response to these chemicals is out of balance, triggering changes that can damage multiple organ systems."

Goldberg thanked everyone for the well wishes sent to her during recovery.

"Ladies, I cannot wait to see y'all," Goldberg said. "This has been interesting, and I'll tell you all about it when we're all at the table."

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