Spreading Her Faith
- Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts, 60, has taken her words of “Wednesday Wisdom” on the road to Dollywood!
- The two-time cancer survivor didn’t let being on location stop her from instilling some positive words of faith with her followers as legendary singer Dolly Parton rehearsed in the background at the Tennessee theme park.
- Survivor Sharonda Vincent tells SurvivorNet how she knew she would be okay because of her faith in God.
The anchor, 60, is usually making use of the time with her “Glam Fam” by posting positive affirmations and prayers in her dressing room, but this week, she is stationed at Dolly Parton’s glorious theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in the heart of the Smoky Mountains.
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It’s been awhile since GMA has been on the road, which shows hopeful signs for the near future as the pandemic becomes more controlled. Many anchors and guests on news shows across the country have been working from home and zooming in for live broadcasts throughout the past year, with most shows finally returning to studios. No wonder Roberts was so excited! Dolly Parton at Dollywood certainly breaks up the monotony to say the least.
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Parton performed live on the show, singing Coat of Many Colors, strumming on an acoustic guitar of many colors, and wearing pants of many colors, pulling the vibrant look together with a black blazer.
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Robin’s Health Battle
Roberts has always been an optimistic person, but she is truly grateful to God and to her faith for getting her through her darker days. And she spends each and every day showing gratitude, and trying to boost the spirits of her fans and fellow survivors out there.
The anchor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. Thankfully, she beat it, but then she was diagnosed with a secondary cancer in 2012, a rare blood cancer called MDS (bone marrow cancer). She had to have a lifesaving bone marrow transplant, and still remained positive throughout, opening up about her battles on her show to help others with their struggles.
What Is Blood Cancer?
Dr. Nina Shah, a hematologist-oncologist at the UCSF Medical Center, explains to SurvivorNet what blood cancer is and how you can get it.
"In general, having a blood cancer means that your bone marrow is not functioning correctly,” she said. "And when your bone marrow doesn't function correctly, it means you can have something happen to you like anemia, or you could have low platelets, which makes it possible for you to bleed easily, or your immune system is not functioning correctly and you can have infections that most people won't have."
Getting in for your regular check-ups and blood tests can help you stay ahead of a possible secondary cancer.
What is a Blood Cancer? How is it Different?
Faith and Cancer
Survivor Sharonda Vincent was lying in bed one night, and had a talk with God.
“I knew that if I just put my faith and trust in God, that I would be OK,” she tells SurvivorNet. “As a young child, I was raised in church. My mother is a minister my father is a deacon in church. My grandparents were ministers.”
The day before her 30th birthday, exactly a month-and-a-half before her wedding day, she discovered a lump in her left breast. “I was later informed that I had stage 2B breast cancer,” she said. “I think I cried for about maybe the first month or so. It was hard for me. I did feel as if I was being punished.
She was scheduled to do eight rounds of chemotherapy, but developed neuropathy in her hands and feet, so she only completed six rounds, followed by the radiation and then hormone replacement for five years.
“I’m doing well,” she happily reports. “My doctors are amazed at how I’m doing. If I had one piece of advice to give to someone who was newly diagnosed with breast cancer, that advice would be to not give up hope, to live every day as if it was their last day, to educate themselves. I would let them know that it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to have days where they just want to be alone.
Most importantly, she would just push them to live a long, happy life “because breast cancer … it’s not the end of the world.”
‘I Had a Talk with God, and I Knew I’d Be OK’
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