Sheinelle Jones' Twins Give an Update on Her Recovery in an Adorable New Video

From Good Housekeeping

• Sheinelle Jones recently had surgery for a polyp on her vocal cords.

• She will be out from the Today show for more than a month.

• The procedure that Jones underwent is rather common, but involves a particularly challenging recovery period.

In a deeply personal announcement on NBC's TODAY last month, Sheinelle Jones shed some light on a health issue that has plagued her daily routine for more than four years — even before she became an anchor on TODAY's third-hour show. While the 41-year-old has always been vocal about her struggle with a hoarse voice over the last few years (she previously shared details about a vocal-cord polyp), it seems that the issue has escalated a bit.

"I've been going to therapy twice a week, an hour at a time," she explained on the show. "In the mornings, I get anxiety sometimes when the producers say, 'Can you do a story this morning at 8 o'clock?' I'll get up thirty minutes earlier to do these vocal exercises so that I don't sound so hoarse."

Jones, who also is raising three little ones with her husband Uche, says the condition has even derailed her personal life: she rarely enjoys a cocktail, as it can affect her vocal tone and barely does public speaking events in order to preserve her voice for work. Rather than continue to battle a hoarse speaking voice, Jones decided to step away from TODAY for six weeks to tackle the issue head on.

After watching her announcement and studying other instances when Jones has opened up about the condition, here's what we know:

Where is Sheinelle Jones?

We won't see the TODAY show host on air for at least the next six weeks (if not longer) because she decided to have surgery on the polyp nestled among her vocal cords. During her initial announcement in February, Jones said an ENT specialist would operate on her vocal cords to remove the polyp, which should allow her to speak easily after a long recovery period. "I finally got to a place where I just have to get it removed," she explained.

Following her surgery, she shared a photo of herself in a hospital bed on Instagram and gave her fans an important update.

"I just wanted you to know that I’m okay, and to thank you for all of your messages and prayers. Apparently I emerged out of anesthesia 'talking' .... I was out of it... I just remember a male voice kindly but firmly telling me to 'please stop talking.' ☺️" she wrote.

Jones continued: "Now the work begins to heal. The nurse kept telling me to 'enjoy' the rest... I had a hard time doing that, so clearly I have some work to do. Ok that’s my check in. Thank you *so so* much for all of your kindness.❤️❤️❤️"

As part of her recovery, Jones is not able to speak a word for two whole weeks. "There's a piece of me that feels like it's a little bit of grace," she said. "Because it's a gift to sit still and do some soul searching, do some reading, do some writing. Nobody ever tells you that you have permission to sit still."

Her family is going to help with the daily routine in the meantime, and Jones will be off exercise and all other activities while she focuses on healing her voice. She hasn't completely checked out of her daily routine, however. In a string of videos shared to Instagram since her surgery, Jones has revealed she's recovering by reading her favorite books and magazines, as well as spending some quality (quiet!) time with her children.

Will Sheinelle Jones be able to return to Today?

While it certainly sounds intense, Jones' vocal-cord lesion is actually more common for people who are consistently using their voice — singers, lawyers, actors, and other journalists may experience vocal fold trauma while on the clock. According to guidance published by Johns Hopkins Medicine, common trauma includes blisters, cysts, and polyps, like the one that Jones was suffering from.

According to TODAY's announcement, the surgery that Jones underwent involves physically removing the polyp on her vocal fold. It's a routine procedure for ENT specialists, and it's expected that the television host will be back on air within six weeks, barring any complications.

While her recovery will certainly be a challenge, it seems to be a better alternative to what she's been dealing with: For the past five months, Jones has been attending one-hour-long speech therapy sessions, and she's been practicing vocal warmups at home for more than four years. On a segment of TODAY that aired after her initial announcement, Jones recounted how her own family noticed how speech had become difficult for her at holidays; and public engagements suddenly became a huge point of stress.

"If that producer didn't tell me, 'Sheinelle, you should probably go to an ENT,' I probably would've put up with it for a lot longer," she said during her announcement. "I'm really trying to use this as a time to sit still and just take care of myself," Sheinelle said. "We talk a lot about self-care, and this is self-care to the nth degree."

Following her surgery, Jones shared an intimate update on her intense recovery with the help of two of three adorable kids, Clara and Uche, her 7-year-old twins. In a video that apparently took "60 million times to record," Jones says, the family is seen playing a game of "Sorry!" on a nearby table while having some fun. "Hey everybody, I just want to let you know that my mom is doing fine," Uche said, as his mom nodded her head and flashed a big thumbs up as well as a wide grin. "We're playing games and writing notes," Clara chimed in.

While she's not totally through her tough recovery period just yet, it seems that Jones is off to a really good start.

Will Sheinelle's co-hosts cover for her?

While viewers will certainly miss Jones' energy during the TODAY's third hour show, her fellow anchors will remain on air during her absence. Al Roker, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer all wished her well at some point this week (Dreyer's seat is also currently being covered by Natalie Morales). "We're glad you're getting it taken care of," Melvin said on the show.

"We're wishing you, of course, a speedy recovery," Carson Daly said on an early morning segment. "Well, we will be waiting patiently for you to come home," Hoda Kotb added. All of her TODAY cohosts seem to agree: she'll be greatly missed, but welcomed back with open arms when her voice has fully healed.

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