Robin Roberts is a trooper. She returned home from the hospital after a virus threatened to derail her recovery after her recent bone marrow transplant. The 51-year old cancer survivor was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood disorder. Just five years ago, the Good Morning America news anchor was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment. She was successful in her recovery and received wide-spread praise for sharing her battle against breast cancer with audiences.
She’s at it again; publicly documenting her healthy journey after her bone marrow transplant with fans and friends alike via Facebook. In a released statement, Roberts gave insight into her recent hospital stay. “A latent virus, many of us have, was not responding to medication and was pulling down my numbers. Our immune systems usually take care of a virus like this … but mine is only 59 days old. Physically I felt fine but being back in the hospital took an emotional toll on me.”
Her doctors assured her that many bone marrow transplant recipients have to remain vigilant against any type of virus or bacteria; lest their immune system gets attacked and weakened, leading to a slower recovery or worse. For a bone marrow match, Roberts had to look no further than her own sister. Her sister Sally-Ann Roberts, a broadcast journalist at WWL-TV in New Orleans, gave her healthy stem cells for her sister’s transplant. As a result of former chemotherapy as part of her breast cancer treatment, Roberts’ cells had been destroyed, placing her in need of a bone marrow transplant.
While Ms. Roberts has had her share of health related issues, she wasn’t too busy to offer encouragement for another young woman facing breast cancer treatment options. Miss America contestant Allyn Rose, whose own mother died of breast cancer, has made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy in order to reduce her chances of developing breast cancer. Roberts has been corresponding with Rose via Twitter, recently tweeting, Proud of Miss DC @AllynRose, being proactive in fighting breast cancer,” Roberts Tweeted on Monday morning. “Admire your courage & candor sharing your decision w/ us. Blessings.”
