GMA’s Robin Roberts Addresses Absence Amid Emotional Anniversary of Cancer Treatment

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts is reflecting on a difficult time in her life pertaining to her health. In a recent instagram message, the beloved journalist shared memories from when she received a bone marrow transplant a decade ago. The video is the latest installment of a series in which she shares a message and prayer to her millions of followers from backstage of the show. The video begins as it usually does with a prayer. Upon her finishing, Roberts shared her thoughts looking back on the time. “10 years ago today, I was waking up in a hospital. It was one day after my bone marrow transplant. And all I could do was hope and pray that my body would accept my sister’s stem cells,” she said. Roberts says her life has shown that despite the pitfalls, things will get better. “Whatever you’re going through, you’ve got to believe that this too shall pass,” she noted. 

in 2012, Roberts, who is also a breast cancer survivor, underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndrome or MDS. It’s a rare blood disorder. She received the transplant after undergoing ten days of chemotherapy. “It’s considered to be a rebirth,” she said of the transplant at the time, per ABC News.”And I definitely felt that I was getting another chance at life.”

One of Roberts’ three siblings, Sally Ann Roberts, was the donor. Roberts took a hiatus from working to heal as co-workers filled in. Much of her time in the immediate weeks after her transplant were spent in isolation to prevent further illness or infection. Whenever she left her hospital room, she had to wear a mask and gloves, as did the people around her, to protect her immune system.

She returned to work 30 days after the transplant. Her memoir, Everybody’s Got Something, detailed her journey.