Days of our Lives Daily Rehash, June 2: Chanel goes the way of General Hospital's Willow

Days of our Lives looks as if it is doing what we hoped it wouldn't do when it gave a pregnant woman cancer. For now, Chanel has decided not to undergo treatment until after she gives birth, which puts her life at severe risk. General Hospital's Willow did this in 2022 to disastrous results with fans.

Days of our Lives' Chanel has a dilemma

Chanel wants to delay treatment | Image: JPI

Chanel (Raven Bowes) knew going in that her pregnancy would be high-risk because it would be hard to detect the rare cancer she had in 2024. What she never expected was to be diagnosed with a different, much more serious cancer in her third trimester. That wasn't as hard to detect because it came with a fast-growing tumor palpable to the touch.

While the cancer was caught early and is highly treatable with an excellent survival rate, treatment needs to begin right away and not several months away, when Chanel gives birth. After her initial appointment with an oncologist, Chanel made the decision to forgo treatment while pregnant. Yes, it is her body and her choice, but this story left a bad taste in fans' mouths on GH and it doesn't feel right on DAYS.

General Hospital's big mistake

General Hospital's Willow Tait nearly died after refusing cancer treatment while pregant | Image: ABC

In Willow's (Katelyn MacMullen) case, she learned she had cancer while in her first trimester and chose to delay treatment until she was further along. The problem was that by the time she was ready to start treatment, her cancer had progressed to stage 4 and she needed a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Willow delivered her baby a few weeks early and nearly died waiting for her bone marrow. But a miracle arrived and Willow lived to be the hot mess, murderous congresswoman she is today.

In Chanel's case, she is already far enough along that there is less risk that treatment would harm her baby. With Raven Bowens and Chanel being written off within the next few months, we fear her prognosis and outcome won't be as rosy as Willow's if she doesn't start treatment now. Is that where DAYS is really going with this, giving us the story of a mother willing to sacrifice her own life for her unborn child?

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