Linsey Godfrey cancer story Days
Credit: Image: Jill Johnson/JPI

Linsey Godfrey honors those who’ve battled cancer and feels the love from soap actors.

Actress Linsey Godfrey, who stars on Days of our Lives as Sarah Horton after leaving Bold and Beautiful when her character Caroline Spencer was killed off, marked Lymphoma Awareness Day yesterday by remembering the day she completed chemotherapy treatment for cancer 13 years ago. She shared a photo of her certificate of congratulations from the Mayo HemOnc staff on her Instagram account along with her story: “A month before my 18th birthday I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma stage 3A. I underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy over the course of 6 months. I actually shaved my head on my 18th birthday.”

Godfrey went on to recall, “I rode horses and was at the beach 24/7. My momma said the beach cures and heals everything. Even the soul.” Sounds like good advice, Momma! Of course, the resilient actress, who is also a sexual assault survivor and has struggled with anxiety and PTSD, noted that she had a happy ending to her lymphoma story as she’s considered to be ‘cured’ of her cancer.

She gave shout-outs to other cancer survivors as well, including Days of our Lives co-star Kassie DePaiva, who joined the soap opera as Eve Donovan after her long-running role as Blair Cramer ended with One Life to Live’s cancellation. DePaiva, who Godfrey characterized as ‘truly incredible’, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2016 and is now cancer-free. The actress also honored those who ‘lost their battle’, including Black Panther and All My Children alum Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer recently.

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Today is Lymphoma Awareness Day! A month before my 18th birthday I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma stage 3A. I underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy over the course of 6 months. I actually shaved my head on my 18th birthday. I rode horses and was at the beach 24/7. My momma said the beach cures and heals everything. Even the soul. It’s been over 13yrs since I completed chemo and since I’ve been considered “cured” of my cancer! Today we celebrate our fellow survivors, for me I’m lucky enough to have a few in my life, @flowerrlyy, @abigail.paige and of course not with Lymphoma but Leukemia instead, the truly incredible @kassiedepaiva! I feel so lucky to know so many women survivors, who fought beautifully and are here to enjoy each day as it is, a gift. Today we celebrate the warriors who continue their fight!! We also honor and remember those who lost their battle. Though @chadwickboseman lost his battle to another type of cancer, I would like to take a moment to honor and remember him as well. #wakandaforever #lymphomaawareness #lymphomasurvivor #lymphoma

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Several of Godfrey’s Days of our Lives co-stars commented on her moving post. Paul Telfer, who plays Sarah’s love interest, Xander Kiriakis, remarked, “Always in awe of your strength and resiliency!” Sal Stowers, who appears as Lani Price, simply said, “I love you,” and Martha Madison, who plays Belle Brady, added, “You are an inspiration to us all.” Other soap stars who dropped in with loving and empowering emoji messages included Bold and Beautiful’s Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter Walton) and Don Diamont (Bill Spencer), Days of our Lives’ alum Molly Burnett (Melanie Jonas), One Life to Live and General Hospital alum Kristen Alderson (Starr Manning), whose brother Eddie Alderson (One Life to Live’s Matt Buchanan) is a lymphoma survivor, and Young and Restless’ Brytni Sarpy (Elena Dawson), who formerly appeared on General Hospital as Valerie Spencer.

Lymphoma is a group of blood cancers that develop in the lymphatic system and take one of two forms, Hodgkin, and non-Hodgkin. Donations can be made through Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

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