'Shift Your Focus from the Burden to the Blessing,’ Says ABC’s Robin Roberts, Who Survived Breast Cancer and MDS

She says, “It's Wednesday! Here's the message and prayer for today: In every season of life, we are tempted to focus on our present burdens, and miss the blessings…Rather than enjoy where we are on the way to where we're going, we get so caught up in the challenges that we miss the beauty of the moment…Shift your focus from the burden to the blessing.”

 

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Roberts’ Cancer Battle

Robin Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and battled her disease on the public stage. She discovered her breast cancer while preparing for a news story about the need for early detection for breast cancer, and she found a lump while doing a self-exam at home.

Related: Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams

Along with her breast cancer battle, Roberts had to undergo a bone marrow transplant as a result of a rare blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). People who get a bone marrow or stem cell transplants should be aware of the risks involved in this type of treatment procedure. Dr. Caitlin Costello, a hematologist-oncologist at UC San Diego Health, says in an earlier interview, “The greatest risks of an autologous stem cell transplant are really twofold. I think the most important one is the risk of infections. Throughout this process, we are going to really take away your immune system.”

Related: Blood Cancer Comes in More than 100 Varieties: How They Differ & What They Have in Common

“Realistically, your immune system will be severely weakened, probably for about a week-long period,” says Dr. Costello. “But it’s during that time period that really a small cold, or a virus, or a bacterial infection for your average person can be very significant for a person without an immune system, and really why we have to be so careful and cautious during this time period for you, of who’s around, who’s seeing you, who’s caring for you.”

“The second risk associated with an autologous stem cell transplant,” she says, “is unfortunately and ironically the chemotherapy itself. So here we are using chemotherapy to potentially cure you of your Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but they’re high doses of chemotherapy that can have side effects.”

Stem Cell Transplant: Know the Risks

Focusing on the Blessings

Robin Roberts continues to be a beacon of positivity, even in the face of hardship like a cancer diagnosis. Having a positive attitude through cancer can, in some instances, positively impact prognosis.

Related: As Actor Jeff Bridges, 71, Battles Lymphoma He Focuses on Gratitude: 'Let the Gratefulness Overflow into Blessing All Around You'

Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai says in an earlier interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK.”

“Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow,” says Dr. Murrell.  “But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Stay Positive, It Matters

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