ABC morning news show Good Morning America announced Thursday that Robin Roberts will officially return to her anchor chair on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Roberts took time off to undergo a bone marrow transplant to treat a rare blood disorder known as myelodysplastic (MDS).
Roberts received the okay from her doctors to return to work citing that her most recent test did not show anything out of the norm and that her overall health showed improvements over the course of her recovery. "After seeing my doctor again this week I now know when I can return to the anchor chair. February 20th, which will be exactly 5 months since my bone marrow transplant. I'm excited to re-join my wonderful 'GMA' family", said Roberts in a personal note on the ABC News Blog.
Roberts underwent a bone marrow transplant in December and could not wait to return back to her Good Morning America family. Prior to Roberts' return, for the next two weeks the show plans to do a countdown, spotlighting the stories of brave men and women facing MDS. It will show how Roberts has inspired others by being an example of resilience. On Friday, Feb. 22 at 10 p.m. ET, Roberts in candid interview with "20/20" will share her personal journey with viewers.
To celebrate the Superbowl last week, Roberts visited Louisiana, her home state to visit family and friends and brought along her GMA co-anchors Josh Elliott and Sam Champion. In a Facebook post, Roberts said how returning to her alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana University and receiving such a warm welcome from students and staff was important to her emotional recovery.
Last month, Roberts also began a series of "dry runs" at the Times Square "GMA" studio to help ease back into her daily work routine. "My skin is very sensitive and so we have to see how it reacts to the studio lights," she explained in a live interview from her apartment in New York City in January. "My doctors want me to see how many people I actually come in contact with. How my body reacts to the stimulation, that's code word for stress, of being in the studio environment."
