“Good Morning America” news anchor Robin Roberts is opening up about her recent health battle.
Roberts, 60, was previously diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome — a rare blood disorder — and needed a bone marrow transplant surgery to survive. Luckily, Roberts’s sister was a candidate.
Roberts also underwent 10 days of chemotherapy.
She opened up to Rachael Ray about her life-threatening experience.
“My doctor told me I had a year or two to live if I didn’t have a successful transplant,” she told Ray. “My other siblings were not a match. My doctors had already told me there was not anybody on the list that matched me. It came down to my sister Sally-Ann.”
“When they came back — and they had to do repeated tests to get to the certain level — and they said, ‘Yes, she’s a match.’ And I cannot tell you, you just exhale, and you’re like, ‘I got a chance,'” Roberts continued.
The news anchor says she called her sister to make sure she wanted to go through with the procedure. It was an emotional call.
“I remember calling my sister because then I had to say to her, ‘You are a match. Do you want to go through with this’ because sometimes, people will put themselves on the list and say they want to be a donor, and then it gets to that point and they have second thoughts.”
“And my sister said, ‘Not only is this something I want to do, I feel I was born to be [your donor].'”
Roberts took to Instagram this week to celebrate an important milestone.
“Quiet dinner at home w/ sweet Amber & @lil_man_lukas to mark 9 years since my bone marrow transplant,” Robin captioned the post. “Everybody’s got something and I’m hopeful to be a reminder that this too shall pass. 🙏🏾❤️#lightlovepowerpresence”
