Robin Roberts endured a family emergency around the same time she received her myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) diagnosis. According to ABC News, Robin started her medical leave a day early in order to be with her ailing mother, Lucimarian Roberts, in Mississippi. Her hometown was still reeling from Tropical Storm Isaac, and the TV anchor ended up "forging through flooded and blocked roads to be with her beloved mother in time to see her." Lucimarian died on August 30, 2012. Robin's sister, Sally-Ann Roberts, also went home, even though she was in New York City with Robin preparing to donate her bone marrow.
Robin reflected on the tragic time to People in 2015. "'GMA' finally becomes number one in the [ratings], and the same day I'm told I have two years left to live if I don't find a bone marrow donor," she said. "Answering a prayer, my sister is a perfect match. Then, days before my transplant, I have to rush home to be by my beloved mother's side. I was the one holding her hand when she took her last breath."
Robin has since reflected on how much she misses her mom and what she'd make of everything she's accomplished in the wake of her death. "I think she'd be cheering me on from her heavenly balcony, that's what I think," she told ET in 2021.
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