Susan falls in love with Karl and her memories return during their vow renewal service. During a 2012 interview, Woodburne told a What's on TV reporter that she and the writers initially joked about the storyline, but they found some truth in it. She explained "It was actually based on a story of a woman who lived in England. The same thing happened to her. She fell over in a supermarket. Between leaving the supermarket and getting home, she'd lost 30 years. I don't think she recovered. She had a husband and grown-up children and she had no idea who they were. Imagine the terror and the fear of being surrounded by these people who tell you that they are your family. But you feel nothing." Multiple sclerosis Susan was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis in 2007. Two years prior, MS Australia pitched a storyline to the Neighbours team asking for a character to be diagnosed with MS and for them to then show the impact MS can have on a community. The society contacted a producer and discussed a possible storyline for a young character in her twenties who had a promising career and family ahead of her. In 2006, the society received a phone call from one of the writers who revealed that they had chosen to write an MS story into the show and they had selected Susan Kennedy to be the character that was going to be diagnosed. The society was initially disappointed, as Susan was older than the typical person diagnosed with the condition. However, they were pleased that a permanent character and not an extra was chosen. MS Australia attended a meeting with the Neighbours writers to help develop a realistic and true portrayal of the diagnosis, symptoms and treatments. On-screen Susan was seen displaying unusual symptoms, including black outs and loss of sight and sensation in her hands. She was then seen undergoing an MRI scan, before she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Woodburne was initially against Susan developing the condition, but when she started researching it, she realised how much of a challenge the storyline would be and she changed her mind. The actress and the shows writers worked closely with the MS Society to make the storyline as realistic as possible and it was praised by both the society and viewers who have the condition. Jenna Litchfield of the MS Society said