Cancer Survivor Robin Roberts Prays & Encourages Gratitude
- Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, 61, shares her weekly prayer with fans and followers. She also says she’s hitting the road for a “special assignment.”
- Roberts is a breast cancer survivor and her partner Amber was diagnosed with the disease in late 2021. In 2007, Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she went through her health battle publicly.
- According to the CDC, 69% of cancer patients say that they rely on faith throughout cancer treatment, and use prayer as a way to call for good health.
Taking to Instagram, the Tuskegee, AL, native says, “God's creation is filled with magnificent things…but you are his most prized possession…Quit wishing you were taller or looked like someone else. God went to great lengths to make you exactly as he wanted…You are extremely valuable. Remind yourself: ‘I have the fingerprints of God all over me. My gifts, my personality. I know I am not average, I am a masterpiece.’…”
Read MoreView this post on InstagramShe continues, sharing, “We are hitting the road for a very special assignment, but we will be back before you know it."
She also asks her “Glam Fam” what they are grateful for in their lives. Roberts concludes the inspiring video with her signature tagline, saying, "Have a blessed day and be a blessing."
Robin Roberts’ Breast Cancer Battle
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.
When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
Prayers to Jesus Through Cancer
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 69% of cancer patients say that they rely on faith throughout cancer treatment, and use prayer as a way to call for good health.
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Bay Area resident and ovarian cancer survivor, Annie Tolentino, shared how prayer was critical during her cancer journey. "Without faith and without Jesus being part of my life, I don't think how I would have been able to keep my sanity," says the ovarian cancer survivor.
Religion was already an integral part of life for Tolentino and her family. They would pray together at night, and attend church services together each week. When she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer, her faith became a lifelinea way for her to stay positive through the difficult treatment process. Her belief also helped her cope with the loss of her mother from the very same cancer.
Before each mass she attended, "I would go to the little chapel that they have and write my love letters to Jesus, thanking him for helping me survive through this, survive through my disease, survive my mother passing from the same cancer," she says.
Tolentino wasn't alone in her prayers. "I've got great family members and friends who pray with me, not just pray for me but pray with me. I call them my 'prayer warriors.'"
Annie Tolentino Credits 'Prayer Warriors' for Helping Her Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.