"I had a lot of respect
for those people," says Vieira, who left Today in June after nearly five years as cohost. The crowd, which begins
gathering before dawn in all weather, was a humbling reminder of the 60-year-old show's place in American life, she says.
When she stayed after to shake hands with crowd members — something she did every day — "a lot of people
would say, 'We wake up with you every morning,' " she recalls.
"It is tough," interjects
Cohen with a laugh. "I mean, I have to do that!"
And so Vieira's earnest reflection
on her role in a TV tradition makes way for Cohen's needling wit — the natural order with these two. Married since 1986
and the parents of three young adults, the pair approach their life together with a levity that belies the grave challenges
they've faced and continue to face.
On this bright morning, the deck looks out on a placid cove scattered with
reeds, but Cohen can't see the vista. Instead, he sees only an impressionistic blur. Now 63, Cohen was diagnosed at 25 with
multiple sclerosis, a nerve-destroying condition that is gradually stealing his eyesight, balance, and strength. He is legally
blind due to MS's assault on his optic nerves, and his right hand is so weak that he can't even hold a heavy book —
the arm would buckle. With a tangle of sandy-brown hair and a gold stud in one earlobe, Cohen looks almost boyish when seated.
Upon standing, though, he gains decades: He walks deliberately, with a cane and a decided limp, and rarely for longer than
one city block. "My life has been a continuous series of what I can't do anymore," he says matter-of-factly. In
contrast to his wife's famously velvety voice, Cohen's voice has a scratchy warble to it — another effect of MS.
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