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If there’s one thing that can be said for Days of Our Lives‘ Sarah, it’s that she has definitely stepped up to take on a motherly role with Holly. She sat her down to have a blunt talk about taking ownership for her words and what she puts on the internet. And she stepped in to give Amy the heave ho when she heard her threatening Holly. She’s got Holly’s back, but that doesn’t mean sugarcoating things with the teen!
With Nicole in Paris, it makes sense that Holly’s family would step in to help out — but up until recently, that person was more often Maggie, who had promised to care for Holly while she stayed in Salem! Now, though, Maggie’s nowhere to be seen (though Sarah does mention her) and there’s a very important reason for that.
Last fall, we learned that Suzanne Rogers been diagnosed with cancer when she shared the news with TV Insider. She took a break from Days of Our Lives to begin treatment on June 13, undergoing radiation and chemo five days a week for six weeks. That began just about eleven months ago. And since Days of Our Lives shoots about ten months in advance, it’s why we haven’t seen Maggie in a bit, and Sarah’s been stepping in to deal with the aftermath of Sophia’s suicide and Amy going after Holly.
And honestly, Sarah’s really been stepping up. It’s clear when Victoria starts getting older, she’ll be a mom who does not shy away from saying it like it is!
The good news is, again talking to TV Insider, this time at the Peacock soap’s 60th anniversary celebration, Rogers shared, “I’m getting my energy back. I’m at about 70%.” That same day, she revealed to People that she’s now in remission after a very “rough” summer, having had the cancer removed and going through radiation. “But I didn’t lose my hair. I guess I got it early. I was stage two, and it was a certain kind of chemo that they gave me, it was pills and the radiation, and it didn’t affect it so that was good.”
Last month, we reported that Rogers had started treatment in June, undergoing radiation and chemo five days a week for six weeks. That overlapped a good deal with Days of Our Lives‘ own six-week summer break, so she could mostly keep it under wraps. She leaned on her friend, Sunie Ostermann and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah), especially as Rogers’ onscreen daughter was also a cancer survivor — and an incredible pillar of support as Rogers went through the ordeal.
Godfrey would sit and hold her TV mother’s hand while she sat through the infusions, and dinners with Sarah’s portrayer, her daughter Aleda and Paul Telfer (Xander) were a source of comfort. Because unlike the drama and the anger that’s playing out onscreen right now, the actors themselves couldn’t be closer. “I knew I could count on them,” Rogers shares, “so it was a lovely experience on and off the set. We really feel like a family.”
But treatment takes a lot out of you, and while Rogers wrapped it at the end of July, she’s only now returning to work next week. Since the show shoots 10 months in advance, we won’t see Maggie’s absence until around the end of next summer. Because as executive producer Ken Corday made clear to her, Maggie wasn’t going anywhere and she could pick right back up when she was ready. In the end, “The prayers and the good wishes from my friends and my family helped me stay positive and stay on top of it and beat this.”
Maggie may be taking a break because of battle, but neither she, nor Rogers are going anywhere. Her treatment is done and she’s doing just fine. And we couldn’t be more thankful!
