Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts will take a leave of absence from the show after this week to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
Show producers and Roberts confirmed Friday will be the last appearance before she begins the treatment for MDS.
'I'll begin the process,' she explained on air.
Preparing to sign off: Robin Roberts, pictured on Good Morning America today, will take medical leave from Friday
'It still takes about 10 days after being admitted because there are some things you have to go through before the (bone marrow) transplant actually occurs.'
Roberts' sister, Sally, has been 'getting shots' in preparation to be her donor. The transplant will take place next Tuesday.
The popular anchor was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, earlier this year.
Her sister was found to be a perfect match as a donor for the disease which attacks blood cells and bone.
Brave face: The host, pictured last week, will undergo a bone marrow transplant
Roberts, who survived a breast cancer in 2007, said on GMA one of the toughest things she had to do was to move her dog, KJ, out of the house while she undergoes the surgery.
She met friends from Maine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire over the weekend and handed over KJ and added on her Twitter account that she 'Cried like a baby.'
Emotional: Robin told her Twitter followers that she had to put her dog in the care of friends during her health battle
Roberts said this morning, 'KJ has been in my life almost 15 years. She's up in Maine now because when you have a bone marrow transplant you don't have an immune system for a while. And you're very susceptible to infection. And having a dog coming in and out ... that was really hard.'
Producers of GMA plan a segment called 'Robin's journey' to show viewers of where she stands with the illness.
Roberts told viewers last month that she was anticipating a medical leave in late August, though she had not set a specific date until the announcement on today's GMA.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2194339/Good-Morning-Americas-Robin-Roberts-medical-leave-Friday-ahead-bone-marrow-transplant.html#ixzz24lrwl3Vp
