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.

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.