Robin Roberts Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of GMA Return After Bone Marrow Transplant: 'You Can Thrive'
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Robin Roberts is celebrating a major milestone!
The Good Morning America anchor, 62, is marking the tenth anniversary of her return to the ABC morning show after undergoing a bone marrow transplant, which she received from sister Sally-Ann in 2012.
In an exclusive promo for their Feb. 21 celebration, the ABC morning show looks back at Roberts' healthy journey after she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow and subsequently stepped away from the GMA anchor desk for nearly six months.
"The images of my return always take me back, but more than that, they remind me of how far I've come," Roberts exclusively tells PEOPLE of the promo. "Seeing the videos and images renews my faith in scientific advancement, renews my faith in selfless actions for others, renews my faith in God certainly, and energizes me that the best is still yet to come."
Paula Lobo/ABC via Getty
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Roberts — who commemorated 20 years on GMA in April — says she still remembers her emotional return to the show.
"As I said back in 2013, I waited 174 days to be healthy enough to say, 'Good morning, America,'" she recalls. "And so I remember being overcome with emotion about how fortunate and truly blessed I'd been to be able to say those three words."
She adds, "I also committed to doing something – everything possible – to give other people facing similar circumstances hope."
Heidi Gutman/Walt Disney Television via Getty Good Morning America
To mark the anniversary, Roberts plans on spending time with her longtime partner, Amber Laign.
"If my own health challenges have taught me anything, they've taught me to live in the now with those you love," she says. "I won't have a big celebration, but I do see a quiet evening with Sweet Amber, who has had her own cancer battle recently, reflecting on our blessings and our health."
In sharing the ups and downs of her journey, Roberts hopes that she can inspire others.
"Our Good Morning America viewers and my colleagues have been with me through it all, especially my health challenges," she shares. "They've seen me bald, they've seen me at barely 100 lbs., but ten years after returning to GMA, today they see me thriving."
She continued, "I just jumped 630 feet off the Auckland Sky Tower... live more, fear less! For me, this anniversary is about faith and hope. I hope to be a symbol that this too shall pass, and you can thrive, not just survive."
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In honor of the anniversary, GMA will team up with Be The Match — a nonprofit organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program — which will kick off #GMAswab2save bone marrow registry drives across the country on Feb. 15.
"Over the last 10 years, GMA and our incredible viewers have done that in so many ways," she says. "And I'm especially proud of our ongoing 'One Match, Second Chance' series which raises awareness of the bone marrow registry and showcases recent scientific advancements."
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"While I was fortunate that my sister Sally-Ann was a match for me, many others must turn to the bone marrow registry to find their match," she continues. "And that's why GMA, ABC's Owned Television Stations, and some of our ABC affiliates have teamed up with Be The Match to hold bone marrow registry drives ahead of my 10-year anniversary."
"The best celebration for me will be knowing that we've added to the bone marrow registry and that more people have a better chance of finding their lifesaving match," Roberts adds. "Everybody's got something. Whether it's illness, the end of a relationship, financial difficulties, the key is not to dwell on your something but rather to discover the lessons you can learn from it and share with others. My momma often said we all have gifts, discover yours and share it with the world."
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Good Morning America airs weekdays at 7 a.m. ET on ABC.
