Robin Roberts Recalls a Time During Illness She Felt Herself ''Slipping Away,'' Appreciates Fans Who Never Forgot About Her

Web MD's 10th anniversary issue cover girl opens up about her bone marrow transplant and what she learned from battling a life-threatening disease

By Natalie Finn May 08, 2015 11:00 AMTags
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Robin Roberts is walking proof that you can come up against the scariest challenges and emerge stronger on the other side.

"One night post-transplant I was convinced I was slipping away," the Good Morning America co-anchor recalls undergoing a bone marrow transplant to treat the blood disease myelodysplastic syndrome. "And then I heard a voice saying my name over and over again. There was a nurse named Jenny, pleading with me not to slip away. I don't know what would have happened if she wasn't there."

Roberts opened up recently to WebMD Magazine for its 10th anniversary issue, which features the smiling TV personality on its dual covers.

"I really appreciate that he [Dr. Sergio Giralt, MD, chief of the adult bone marrow transplantation service at Memorial Sloan Kettering] asked me if I would be part of a clinical trial," she continued. :There's a reason why, as a black woman, you're told—which is hard to hear—that you're less likely to get cancer but more likely to die from it."

Roberts was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome after beating breast cancer, the MDS likely caused by the radiation and chemotherapy she underwent to kick the cancer.

"As many of you know, five years ago, I beat breast cancer," Roberts said on GMA in 2012 when she revealed she was battling yet another life-threatening illness. "Sometimes treatment for cancer can lead to other serious medical issues and that's what I'm facing right now."

She took leave from GMA in August 2012 and returned the following February.

Talking about the fans who rallied around her, sending good vibes her way throughout, Roberts told WebMD, "They didn't forget about me, and you don't take that for granted. There isn't a day that someone hasn't said, ‘I prayed for you.'"

She has since become active with Be the Match, which helps raise awareness and funds for patients in need of bone marrow transplants and operates the National Marrow Donor Program database.

"When you're going through a mess, find the message in it not just for yourself, but for other people," Roberts, who also hosted WebMD's inaugural Health Heroes gala last fall, said. "So when I made the announcement about my disease, I knew there was going to be an outcry, and I was partnered with Be the Match to channel that."