Robin Roberts is a two-time cancer survivor. The Good Morning America host has spoken out about her battle plenty of times, and used her platform as a celebrity to support others in the same position as much as she can. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, for which she endured six weeks of radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy.
Five years later, Robin faced a second diagnosis for MSA – bone marrow myelodysplastic syndrome – caused when, according to the NHS, your bone marrow doesn’t make enough health blood cells, rather it produces abnormal cells that aren’t fully developed. “As the condition progresses, your bone marrow gets taken over by the immature blood cells,” says the NHS.
SEE: GMA's Robin Roberts' unbelievable story of survival – and how partner Amber supported her
WATCH: Robin Roberts shares emotional prayer with fans
Doctors believe that this cancer was caused by the chemotherapy that Robin underwent for her breast cancer. She has since had a bone marrow transplant (from her sister Sally Ann Roberts) to treat the condition, but the initial stress meant that she lost a considerable amount of weight.
MORE: Robin Roberts makes surprise confession about partner Amber Laign
Speaking to Cure, Robin said: “I was barely over 100 pounds – and my doctors would say, ‘You’ve got to eat’. Everything made me nauseated, so I would watch food channels so I could see food without smelling it, and something would spark my appetite. Then I would say, ‘Oh I think I want this,’ and my partner or whoever was with me would run out and get it.”
Robin Roberts and partner Amber Laign
Now, though, Robin seems happier and healthier than ever, living with her partner Amber Laign, who spoke on an episode of GMA about the ordeal earlier this year.
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“I learned so much every day just being there and being there every step of the way,” she said. “You’re being thrown information and you’re just trying to keep it all together.”
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