Days headshot mashup Martha Madison Drake Hogestyn Eric Martsolf

Credit: Jill Johnson/JPI (3)

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Drake Hogestyn’s passing of pancreatic cancer last September, left us all shocked and heartbroken. John Black has been such an inseperable part of Days of Our Lives for decades that imagining a show without him has been virtually impossible. And while we’ve had time to say goodbye to Hogestyn, we’re only just now beginning that same process for John.

Onscreen, Martha Madison (Belle) shared that this final farewell story for John would be a “beautiful” coda to one of Salem’s greatest heroes. Offscreen, she and Eric Martsolf (Brady) are coming together to honor their TV dad in an especially touching way — by doing their part to make sure that someday pancreatic cancer will be a thing of the past.

The actors took to Instagram to share that the Black siblings “have joined forces to co-chair our first-ever Hogey’s Home Runners team for the PanCAN PurpleStride Walk in Santa Monica on April 26th!”

And it sounds like the duo won’t be alone in the walk — though no word just yet on what other “familiar faces” will be joining the cause. “In honor of our TV Dad and Days of Our Lives’ most iconic hero, Drake Hogestyn , Eric and I are committed to walking toward a future without Pancreatic Cancer… and we want you to come along! So, consider this your personal invitation to join our team and walk with us (and many other familiar faces) on Saturday, April 26th at the Santa Monica Pier.”

They’re setting a fundraising goal of $50,000, and, Madison shares, “Any donation, big or small, is so appreciated and will be used to fund continued research, advocacy and patient services for those currently battling pancreatic cancer.” For anyone who wants to contribute, she included a link in her Instagram bio, or you can click here.

And for those who can’t give, there are plenty of ways to help out, from sharing the news to joining the walk — even if you aren’t in Los Angeles in April! As Madison writes, “there are roughly 60 other walks happening simultaneously across the country, and we encourage you to register for a PanCAN walk near you!”

We can’t imagine a better way to honor Hogestyn’s life and know that anything folks can do to help will be welcomed. Someday, hopefully, no one else will lose a loved one to pancreatic cancer.