"Good Morning America" was preparing to see Robin Roberts exit on Friday in order to take an extended medical leave, but the morning show host has had to depart a little earlier than expected.

On Thursday's "GMA," Roberts explained that she was leaving the ABC morning show a day early in order to tend to her ailing mother.

Roberts is set to head home to Mississippi along with her older sister, Sally-Ann, to be with their 88-year-old mother, "the matriarch of our family," Roberts told viewers Thursday, according to ABC.

"Our beloved mother ... has had some health issues recently," Roberts said, "and it's gotten to a point that Sally-Ann and I need to get home, so I'm leaving a day early for that."

The extended medical leave follows Roberts' announcement in June that she's been diagnosed with MDS, a rare blood disorder that affects one's bone marrow. Thankfully, Roberts' sister Sally-Ann is a bone marrow match, and the "GMA" host is scheduled to start her treatments for a bone marrow transplant next week.

"There's a point that really resonates with me when I think about this time of my life. Life provides losses and heartbreak for all of us, but the greatest tragedy is to have the experience and miss the meaning," Roberts said. "I am determined not to miss that meaning, because through it I have discovered that I have been given many gifts, gifts that will carry me through this difficult time."

She'll be back to "Good Morning America," she added, "as soon as I can."