Though it may not seem like it at first glance, television creators hold a lot of power. They hold the eyes of countless audience members on a weekly basis. It’s how they wield this power that is a true test of character.

As the creator of The Golden Girls, Susan Harris gave the audience a million opportunities to laugh. However, she also used her time on television to give her viewers an opportunity to think as well.

According to an article for Vulture, one Golden Girls plot line follows a real-life experience of Harris.

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In the season five episode “Sick and Tired,” Dorothy struggles with her health and faces doctors who refuse to believe that anything is actually wrong. By the end of the two-parter, she is diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

“The chronic fatigue one was actually something that I was personally going through at the time,” said Harris. “This was before there was a diagnosis of chronic fatigue. I had all the symptoms, but had very bad experiences with doctors, some of whom told me to dye my hair a different color and asked whether Paul [Junger Witt] and I were getting along in our marriage.

In the final moments of the episode, Dorothy confronts a doctor who previously dismissed her symptoms, something that Harris described as wish fulfilment.

“So the episode was my way of getting back at all the doctors who didn’t believe me; my revenge script for all the people out there who had a disease like that.”

The episode did more than just provide Harris with a means of catharsis; it gave many people the courage to find the root of their own health issues.

“In the end, it turned out I did not have chronic fatigue syndrome,” said Harris. “It was an adrenal issue — but the fact that the episode inspired so many people to go to the doctor was incredible.”