Robin Roberts Calls Oprah Winfrey on 'Good Morning America': 'I Can’t Wait to Come Back’
Oprah Winfrey has been known to get anyone to talk and today was no exception when she worked her magic on Robin Roberts to get her to call in to “Good Morning America.”
“I am here. Good Morning, Oprah,” Roberts said on the phone to cheers from her fellow “GMA” anchor team and Winfrey.
For the first time since her September bone marrow transplant, Roberts gave a live update by phone on how she’s feeling.
“It’s day 35. Thirty five days ago, I had my bone marrow transplant and it is a journey, my friend, and you have taught me. I am so incredibly blessed to be doing as well as I am. Some days I do feel like I am 35 days old, can’t keep my head off the pillow, but those days are becoming fewer and fewer,” she said.
The “GMA” anchor is recovering from bone-marrow disorder that affects blood-cell production. She returned home from the hospital earlier this month and is continuing her recovery.
The “GMA” anchors gathered on the couch to hear from Roberts and put on their own pair of her favorite froggy slippers that she wears at home.
“I can’t wait to come back. I want to be back on that couch with those froggy slippers,” Roberts said. “It’s just about understanding the moment. Why I am here now.”
Roberts told Winfrey, who joined the “GMA” gang as a special guest for half the show, that she has been busy writing in her journal about her recovery and thanked everyone from the outpouring of support.
“I am so appreciative of the outpouring. Not just for me but for everyone, everyone that is facing a challenge,” Roberts, 51, said. “When I see you all this morning, I hope anybody who is facing any type of challenge, any type of mountain that’s in front of them, that this too shall pass.”
CLICK HERE to Follow Robin’s Journey
“It’s so great to hear your voice,” George Stephanopoulos said, telling Roberts about the flood of emails, messages and about the difference she has made by fighting MDS in the public eye.
“I think of my dear mother and she taught me well. It is about being a service to others. It would be a whole lot easier to not be so public when you are going through things like this. The people I have met, who are going through this, their family members who are so appreciative of what we as a family are doing. It’s a privilege to be a messenger.”
Winfrey told Roberts that she loved sitting alongside her TV family.
“I felt your presence when I walked into the studio,” Winfrey said. “I am so happy to be here with your family. … You are here in spirit and we are so happy to have you call in this morning.”
As a special celebration for Roberts, Winfrey brought along the award-winning Power in Praise Mass Choir from New York City and asked them to sing one of Roberts’ favorite songs, “Ain't No Mountain High Enough.”
“It’s about sisterhood and you didn’t hesitate,” Roberts told Winfrey. “I appreciate all that you have done this morning. You have lifted my spirits. The Power and Praise Mass Choir, you got me on my feet, you got me dancing like you were this morning. … It’s all about being uplifted.”
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To find out more about bone marrow donation and sign up for a registration kit from the Be the Match Registry, click HERE.
