Gordon and the writers researched the condition and made sure that the storyline "was pretty precise when it came to the medical and physical issues". A couple of months before they started filming, everyone got together to discuss the storyline and map out the journey it would take. Viewers saw the character discovering a lump in her breast, going against doctors' advice about terminating her pregnancy and subsequently going through with treatment for the cancer. Gordon later admitted that she found it "very tough".