Gemma Trout from the charity Blood Cancer UK worked with EastEnders script writers alongside Simwaka on the AML storyline.
“EastEnders allows us to raise awareness about blood cancer and many people don’t know that it’s the third biggest cancer killer in the UK and the fifth most common cancer.
“AML is a type of blood cancer, so by working with EastEnders we’re raising awareness and understanding around signs and symptoms, but also how the intensive treatment can really affect the patient and the loved ones and everyone around them.”
Trout said that with blood cancer there are lots of “signs and symptoms”.
She added: “For AML we would look at fatigue which doesn’t get better with sleep, bruising and bleeding that’s unusual, lots of infections that last a long period of time.
“It’s really about your own body and thinking, actually, this is not right for me, particularly when one is young and just being really mindful of how long these signs and symptoms can last.”