Amy Robach on Battling Cancer, Telling Her Girls, and Her "Inner Strength as a Mom"

It hasn't been an easy six months for Amy Robach, but looking back, the Good Morning America cohost says it's made her a better person than she was before. In October, Robach, mom to Ava, 7, and Anna, 11, reluctantly had her first mammogram on the morning news program, only to discover that she had breast cancer: "from a follow-up image to a sonogram to a biopsy to a diagnosis in five hours." During a double mastectomy a few weeks later, doctors found a second tumor, leading to a brutal eight rounds of chemotherapy. This week, her first since completing treatment, Robach joined the second annual Moms +SocialGood conference and opened up about the past year.

As a power mom who did it all, Robach revealed that the past few months were tough on her marriage. Her husband, Andrew Shue (former Melrose Place star and Internet entrepreneur), had recently lost a close relative and wasn't able to step in the way she expected him to. Said Robach, "It was tough because I wanted him to be strong and just be like a superman, and he was falling apart. And that was really hard for us as a couple. We had to seek some help [to try to figure out how we navigate this]. We're in a really good place now but it was tough."

But that wasn't all. We sat down with the amazingly energetic Robach after the conference to discuss how she told her girls about the diagnosis, what tips she has for other moms currently fighting cancer, and where she's found some humor in her life (hint: it all comes down to the hair!). Source: Getty / Ben Gabbe

On telling the kids about her diagnosis:
Getty | Robin Marchant

On telling the kids about her diagnosis:

"When I got the diagnosis, I fell apart. They sent in a therapist to start talking to me while I was going from doctor to doctor to MRI all in that one day. In between all of those medical visits, I said, 'I'm so afraid to tell my kids. What am I going to tell my little girls?'

"So [the therapist] walked me through it. She said, 'They're old enough to know something's wrong with you. You're going to have to explain why you've been crying all day. They can handle it, but you need to reassure them. It's all about making them feel safe in a very scary situation. You're honest, but you don't go into too much detail. You tell them you have cancer. You tell them that you have the best doctors in the world who are helping you. And you reassure them that you are going to live.'"

On how the girls reacted to the news:
Getty | Ben Gabbe

On how the girls reacted to the news:

"The girls are still at an age where they rush me and they're like, 'Mommy's home!' And I think that was really devastating to me, because I knew I was about to tell them something that was going to completely change the mood in the room.

"We walked them to the couch and I said, 'I have to tell you something, but I want to tell you before I begin that I'm OK. But I got some bad news from the doctors and I found out that I have breast cancer.' And my 10-year-old immediately just burst into tears. She knew immediately that it was extremely scary, and the funny thing is, I had been crying all day, but when I told them, I suddenly became strong. So when they started crying I was able to completely not cry. Suddenly you just get this inner strength as a mom.

"My 7-year-old didn't know what to do. She knew something bad was happening. But I just told them, 'Mommy is not going to die, mommy is a fighter. You know me, I'm a trooper. And I'm not going to let cancer bring me down. The next six months I'm going to go through surgery, I'm probably going to have to have chemotherapy, but you guys are going to be strong with me.'"

On how seeing their mom go through treatment has strengthened her girls:

On how seeing their mom go through treatment has strengthened her girls:

"They definitely have seen some bad days and I still am not back up to full speed. I have to take naps, which is SO not me. And everyone has to be really careful about germs and hand sanitizer and you gotta wash your hands every day and make sure you don't bring germs home to mommy.

"But you know what? My 10-year-old, she's just got a heart of gold, and when she would see me hurting, she would rub my back and say, 'Mommy, what can I do for you?' And they were amazing. They showed their own strength and they grew a tremendous amount and the empathy they have now for other people. Some days were better than others and so other people had to step up and I think it was good to see them feel that community.

"They saw all the letters that people wrote, they each have blankets that people sent me — chemo blankets. I have so many chemo blankets, I didn't even know what to do with them. I'm going to donate them to a local cancer center, but they have some of the pretty quilted ones in their beds now and I want people to know that everything that they gave me, I just appreciated." Source: Twitter user arobach

On her hair:
Getty | Ray Tamarra

On her hair:

"I actually had survivor's guilt because my hair didn't all fall out and I absolutely anticipated it. I was like, 'I know, it took cancer to find the perfect hairstyle.' I mean look at the positive here! I lost my boobs, but look at my new haircut!"

On tips for other families fighting cancer now:
Getty | Ben Gabbe

On tips for other families fighting cancer now:

"I think you have to give yourself a break. I couldn't be at every pickup and drop-off and I couldn't go to every school PTA meeting. You have to let other people help you. You have to acknowledge that being physically weak or even mentally weak in moments doesn't make you a bad mom. It actually just makes you a human being and your kids can see you in a different light.

"It's good to have them see you be imperfect, to be open to help, and open to letting others pick up the pieces sometimes. It brings a humility to your children that's actually a beautiful thing and I learned to do that because it's not easy. It's easy to say, it's hard to do. There's nothing, I think, anyone hates more, than to feel weak or to feel sick or to feel helpless. So I think accepting help, [and] allowing yourself to be vulnerable is huge. And to give yourself a break. Going forward, it's a lesson I'll continue to know that I don't have to do it all. I think that's a huge lesson."

On moms putting themselves last:

On moms putting themselves last:

"Though we have a blended family, I feel completely financially responsible for my children. And so I feel that overwhelming feeling of having to make sure I protect my employment. So that is, number one. So I'm like whipping around the city just trying to make sure I was in three places at one time. Try to schedule a doctor's appointment, especially when you don't want to, like a mammogram or OB-GYN [and it falls by the wayside]. I'll make my haircuts! Somehow I'll find time to get my nails and toenails done, but when it comes to my health, 'Eh, meh' I feel fine. I feel good, I feel good enough.

"So I learned, you can't take your health for granted and you don't necessarily know what's happening even if you think you feel great. So yes, I was the lowest person on my priority list and I now know, if you aren't there, if you aren't alive, nothing else you do matters, and you can't be a great mom from a hospital bed. So you have to give yourself a break, you have to make sure you take care of yourself. You have to make sure that you keep those appointments." Source: Twitter user arobach