Beloved 'Days of Our Lives' star shares cancer diagnosis
The actress says she found out she had cancer after feeling like something "wasn't quite right".
'Days of Our Lives' actress Suzanne Rogers has revealed that she has stage 2 colorectal cancer.
The 82-year-old was diagnosed earlier this year. Speaking to TV Insider, Rogers says she decided to visit her doctor after feeling like something was off.
She underwent a colonoscopy, and her doctor requested further tests, including an MRI, a PET scan and a biopsy.
"The minute he said that, I knew that it was something more," she told the publication. When all her tests and procedures were done, she was told the devastating news.
"He said, ‘You have cancer and you have to start treatment.' It was all a shock. I mean, I think I was in a shock for several days because I take pretty good care of myself. But he said, ‘It’s a good thing you caught it in time.’”
Rogers plays Maggie Horton Kiriakis on 'Days of Our Lives'. She made her debut on the soapie in 1973 and continues to feature over 50 years later.
The actress says she began treatment just a few days after completing her scenes in June. The show went on a break for six weeks, and she was able to keep her treatment "under wraps".
"It was radiation every day and chemo every day for six weeks and it was tough,” she says. “It was tough knowing you had to do it five days a week and then you had off Saturday and Sunday."
According to Mayo Clinic, colon cancer, which is sometimes called colorectal cancer (colon cancer and rectal cancer), is a "growth of cells that begins in a part of the large intestine".
People in the early stages often don't exhibit any symptoms, which is why doctors recommend routine colonoscopies, especially for older individuals.
Rogers, who got regular screenings, is now focused on her healing journey.
Is 'Days of Our Lives' still on?
Her 'Days of Our Lives' co-stars and producers have also been supportive. She completed her treatment in July, but producers told her to focus on her recovery, as her job would be waiting for her.
She is expected to return to the set in November.
"I start back to work next week, so we’ll see how that goes. Now, I’m feeling anxious like I do any time I get scripts because I want to do my very best and you don’t want to hold up anybody. So that’s the only anxiousness I feel. It’s not because of my illness, let’s put it that way.”
Rogers' character was married to Victor Kiriakis, played by John Aniston. The actor continued to play the role until he died in 2022. His daughter is 'Friends' star Jennifer Aniston.
'Days of Our Lives' is still going strong after 60 years. The soapie moved to streaming platform Peacock in September 2022.
The platform streams both old and new episodes of the soapie.
Many of the original cast, including Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans), Drake Hogestyn (John Black), James Reynolds (Abe Carver), and Peter Reckell (Bo Brady), have continued to bring their characters to life in recent years.
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