Robin Turns to Faith During Partner's Cancer Battle
- Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, 61, shares an inspiring prayer as her partner Amber battles cancer.
- Roberts is a cancer survivor herself, and her partner Amber was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2021; she had surgery and chemotherapy for treatment.
- In 2007, Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she went through her cancer battle publicly, raising awareness about breast cancer in the process.
Robin Roberts’s & Amber’s Breast Cancer Battles
Robin Roberts intimately knows the battle that her partner Amber is facing. The Tuskegee, AL, native also battled breast cancer. In 2007, Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she went through her cancer battle publicly, raising awareness about the disease in the process. The GMA host also had to have a bone marrow transplant to treat her MDS, which is a rare type of blood cancer.Roberts discovered her cancer while at work. She was preparing for a news story about the need for early detection for breast cancer, and she performed a self-check at home. While doing an exam on herself, Roberts discovered a lump. She treated her cancer with surgery. Breast cancer can also be treated with radiation and chemotherapy.
Current guidelines recommend that women aged 45 to 54 with an average risk of breast cancer should get mammograms annually. Mammograms screen for breast cancer and look for lumps in the breast tissue, and other signs of cancer. If you're at a higher risk for breast cancer due to a family history of the disease, you should start screening earlier.
In February, Roberts shared that Laign now has to face breast cancer as well. And in an April interview, she gave an important update regarding her partner's cancer journey.
"She's had some complications with the chemotherapy," Roberts previously told Entertainment Tonight. "They're working it out. We're gonna figure it out. The prognosis is still very good."
When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
Turning to Faith during a Cancer Journey
Roberts has been very open about how faith has gotten her through tough times including Amber’s cancer battle and encourages others to lean into their own faith. So, it's no surprise that she's still incorporating prayer as the cancer survivor's partner tackles her own battle with breast cancer.
For some people, turning to faith can be a great way to keep spirits high when cancer starts taking an emotional and/or physical toll. Monica Layton, for example, also believes in the power of faith during a fight with cancer. She turned to her church congregation for support as she battled ovarian cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic and then went through recovery.
"[I've] gone to the same church for a long time, so it's like another family that really supports me," she told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "We're Episcopalian, and when I was having surgery my priest came to the hospital and stayed and prayed with my family the whole time and it was a long surgery. And then he came back to the hospital every day to pray with me."
In addition to praying for her, Layton's church also sent flowers, cards and a prayer blanket and often visited her.
"They were so kind," Layton said. "I think my faith has been very important, crucial for me. Just the prayer really helps, I think."
Ovarian cancer survivor Monica Layton shares how her church was her biggest support system
Contributing: Abigail Seaberg
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