Suzanne Rogers is unveiling a tumultuous chapter in her life, revealing that she was diagnosed with stage two colorectal cancer earlier this summer, shortly after she expressed concern to her doctor about her health. "He said, 'I want you to have an MRI, I want you to have a PET scan, and I'm going to do a biopsy,'" Suzanne told TV Insider in an interview published on October 30. "And the minute he said that, I knew it was something more."
After undergoing the tests, the 82-year-old, who has played Maggie Horton in the long-running soap opera for over five decades, received the devastating diagnosis. "He said, 'You have cancer and you have to start treatment,'" recalled the Knight Rider alum of the news. "It was all a shock. I think I was in 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.'"
Following her doctor's orders, Suzanne embarked on a grueling treatment plan of "radiation and chemo every day for six weeks" after Days of Our Lives went on a summer hiatus in June. Though grateful not to have to juggle filming with her appointments, her treatment schedule still took a toll on her. "It was tough knowing you had to do it five days a week and then you had off Saturday and Sunday," she explained. "I thoroughly enjoyed my weekends because I didn't have to go and see a doctor. I was so tired of seeing doctors."
Despite the daily sessions, Suzanne knew she had to focus and "get myself healthy" again. And she didn't tackle this journey alone, as she confided in her Days of Our Lives costars Linsey Godfrey—who plays her onscreen daughter Sarah Horton—and Xander Kirakis actor Paul Telfer about her diagnosis. "I had to have an infusion, and it takes about an hour and a half, so Linsey sat there with me and held my hand while I was having it," she noted. "We would go out to lunch or dinner with Paul and Linsey's daughter, Aleda. I knew I could count on them, so it was a lovely experience on and off the set."
The support didn't end there; soon more of the Peacock series' cast—including Mary Beth Evans, Stephen Nichols, Greg Rikaart, and AnnaLynne McCord—sent Suzanne their well wishes. By late July, she had completed her treatment. "I start back to work next week, so we'll see how that goes," she expressed. "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 anxiety I feel. It's not because of my illness; let's put it that way."
