Robin Roberts, co-anchor of the ABC television show Good Morning America since 2005, announced today that she has myelodysplastic syndrome. Her
on-the-air announcement was emotional but echoed the reactions of many newly diagnosed MDS patients, with a resolve to beat the disease and a strong reliance on a personal support team.
Roberts is 51 and physically fit, giving her an edge over older or infirm patients, but she has the disadvantage of having secondary MDS following breast cancer in 2007, for which she was treated with chemotherapy and radiation in 2007 and 2008.
As an African-American, Roberts would have faced tough odds finding a match in the bone marrow registry. Luckily, her older sister Sally-Ann Roberts is a match and agreed to be her donor. The transplant is expected to take place this summer or fall.