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Days of Our Livesstar Suzanne Rogers offers a positive update followingher diagnosis with stage 2 colorectal cancer.
While celebrating at the show's 60th anniversary celebration on Saturday, the veteran actress confirmed toPEOPLEthat she is now "in remission." Rogers, 82, also shared that she is currently feeling "so much better" about the recovery process, after undergoing a rigorous treatment plan throughout the summer.
"I mean, my summer was rough," Rogers told the outlet. "I had cancer removed, radiation, that was tough. 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 [my hair] so that was good."
She added that in the weeks since finishing chemo, she is gradually getting her energy back.
"It's about 70% right now," she shared. "I'm just basically letting things happen. I'm not making anything happen."
Rogers, who has spent more than five decades on the soap as the stoic and strong-willed Maggie Horton, first divulged news of her illness on Oct. 30, after being diagnosed in the summer. The actress toldTV Insiderthat she herself learned the news after realizing that something "wasn't quite right" with her body. She turned to her doctor and underwent a series of tests — including an MRI, a PET scan, and a biopsy — which ended with her receiving the stage 2 cancer diagnosis.
After wrapping onDaysin June, Rogers began a treatment plan that entailed daily radiation and chemo every day for six weeks. The soap's summer schedule worked in her favor, as it meant she was not noticeably absent from set and could focus solely on her recovery.
"I was able to keep it under wraps, and then the show took that break, so it wasn't necessary to get into it all then," Rogers shared. "It helped me because it gave me even more time to chill and to get myself healthy."
When she did open up about the diagnosis, Rogers made sure to reassure fans that her health struggles would not affect Maggie's presence on the show — or her signature red locks.
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"I didn't lose my hair," she said. "I'm sure there'll be people that are saying, 'Well, she didn't really have cancer,' but you know what? I really don't care what people say. I know what I've gone through, and I've come out on the other side, so that's all I care about."
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Rogers, who holds the title of longest-running actor on an American soap, announced her diagnosis amid speculations that she was preparing to retire from the show. A spokesperson forDays of Our Livesshut those rumors downback in July, telling EW in a statement, "Maggie and Suzanne are integral to the show's history, present storylines, and now, on the heels of our pickup, the future! Neither are going anywhere."
Rogers has been a core member of theDays of Our Livescast since 1973, when she first appeared as a farm girl recovering from a car accident that killed her parents. Maggie has come a long way since then, overcoming paralysis, addiction, and even her own "murder." The character's struggles with sobriety helped Rogers earn a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1979.
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