Updated

Lillian Garcia has been absent from WWE programming for weeks, and on Friday a report surfaced that the longtime ring announcer had been released from the company. Garcia has worked for WWE for 15 years, and returned in 2011 two-year absence.

Garcia explained in a Facebook post that she was forced to miss work to be with her father, who is battling cancer. Garcia writes that her father's condition has fortunately improved, and that she will be returning to Monday Night Raw this week.

Via Facebook:

"Imagine my surprise today when I woke up to find out that I was among the top trends in the world on twitter! What for, I said to myself....wait, does that say "Lilian Garcia released from WWE"?? That's when I knew I had to set the story straight.

.... I mentioned on twitter that it was due to a family member being ill. Well, that family member is my father. He has been battling bladder cancer and multiple Myeloma (blood cancer) and due to a reaction to the chemotherapy, he became very ill these past two weeks. On top of that, he had to go into two emergency procedures on his kidneys. To say he has had it tough is an understatement. However, he is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army, being a Veteran from the Korean and Vietnam Wars, so his spirit is that of a fighter. I am so inspired by how he has taken on this disease and continues to battle it with all his might. He has allowed me to share this story as he hopes his journey will inspire anyone else who is battling cancer. Luckily he is doing much better now and gearing up for a new treatment next week. As you can imagine, my entire family has been through a rollercoaster of emotions and cherishing all the time we have with him.

So, on to Monday, I will be back on RAW and couldn't be happier as I have missed you all very much!! Thank you and I love you!!!

Xoxo,
Lilian"