Bonanza Fact or Fan Lore?

[Sierra Girl]

I'm reading a ton of Bonanza fan fiction at the moment and I keep coming across an Adam trait which I'm not sure is based on an episode or just developed via the fans.

Many stories have Adam feeling ill, getting really poorly but hiding it from his family, denying it to himself and subsequently getting near death's door. It's a great plot line but does it have a basis in the actual series? I'm racking my brain and can't think of where it'd come from.