Amy Robach’s ‘Huge’ Cancer Milestone: I’m Done with Chemotherapy
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ABC/Ida Mae Astute(NEW YORK) — ABC News’ Amy Robach announced on Friday that she finished her final round of chemotherapy Thursday to treat breast cancer that was discovered in October.
“Today marks my eighth and final round of chemotherapy,” Robach, 40, said in a taped piece that aired Friday on Good Morning America. “This is my final treatment. The doctors say I graduate today.”
“I decided to have most of my medical moments remain private, but this one I wanted to share,” she said. “This is a huge milestone for me and for anyone else who has battled cancer, and I join the ranks of 2.8 million U.S. women who are breast cancer survivors.”
The GMA news anchor announced in November that she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer after undergoing a mammogram live on the air, and said she planned undergo a bilateral mastectomy.
She said that the on-air mammogram was “the difference between life and death.”
Robach, the mother of two young daughters, shared some parts of her cancer battle, including her decision to cut her hair to feel “empowered” in her fight against the disease.
“Waiting and watching my hair fall out made me once again feel so powerless and so I decided to take control,” she told viewers in January. “I made my appointment and then, after receiving so many letters, cards, emails and tweets from women who were in my exact same position, I decided to record the cut. I wanted other women to know they are not alone. I wanted my sisters to know that being brave is the only way to live with cancer…and today I feel powerful.”
On GMA Friday, Robach described her 20 weeks of chemotherapy treatment as an “uphill battle” and said some days were “much harder than others.”
“I was one of the lucky ones, only losing about one quarter of my hair,” she said. “But no one escapes all of the side effects, both physical and emotional.”
Robach says now that her final round of chemotherapy is complete, she plans to start on a new journey to help raise awareness about early detection for breast cancer and help other women fight the disease.
“I plan on living each day to the fullest, thankful and grateful, and encouraging so many women who are out there, who are still in the thick of it, who have yet to fight this fight, that you can do it, you can get through this one step a time,” Robach said. “I am there for you. I am there with you.”
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