We all know how many times Meredith Grey has escaped danger, but she’s not the only surgeon on “Grey’s Anatomy” that has become a patient. After Miranda Bailey’s close brush with death last week, we take a look back at 10 times the surgeons at Grey Sloan Memorial have had to have surgery themselves.
Miranda Bailey
The most recent episode of Season 14 took a look at how women’s medical concerns can get brushed off as anxiety or another mental health issue. The story is loosely based off episode writer Elisabeth R. Finch’s real-life experience getting diagnosed with cancer. In the episode, Bailey goes to neighboring hospital Seattle Presbyterian to get treated for a heart attack, but the doctors there don’t take her seriously, causing her to need emergency surgery with an assist from Dr. Maggie Pierce. Thankfully, she makes it out okay, and the experience teaches her that life is too short not to do what makes you happy.
Cristina Yang
Cristina had a miscarriage in Season 2 while performing surgery with Doctor Burke (doctors collapsing during surgery is not abnormal in the Grey-Sloan Memorial-verse). It turned out that the baby was growing outside of her uterus, causing her fallopian tube to burst. Addison Shepherd, Derek’s then-wife, operated on Cristina, but the baby was lost. Cristina had planned on getting an abortion anyway, but even her cynical side couldn’t stop her from feeling the loss.
George O’Malley
George’s death is one of the saddest moments on “Grey’s,” and he died on the operating table. He was admitted into the hospital as “John Doe” after jumping in front of a bus to save a woman’s life, and is injured so much that he’s unrecognizable. But when he traces “007,” Mer immediately knows it’s him. During the surgery, his brain swelled and he became brain dead. The doctors found some hope in the fact that his organs were donated.
Meredith Grey
Mer has had more than her fair share of dangerous encounters at the hospital, but her notable surgery is when she undergoes a C-section in the middle of a storm, in the dark, with no power. The baby is okay, but as the other doctors are closing her up, she discovers internal bleeding from an earlier fall down the stairs, and actually instructs the intern Shane on how to stop it as she falls into unconsciousness.
Derek Shepherd
We know it hurts just to say his name, and we miss him too. Derek has undergone surgery more than once during his time on the series. His notable cases of going under include being shot by Gary Clark, hand surgery after the plane crash and after the car crash he wouldn’t survive.
Amelia Shepherd
Earlier this season, Amelia found out she had a massive brain tumor that has potentially been affecting her personality for years. Her old professor Dr. Thomas Koracick removed the tumor successfully. After her experience on the operating table, she and Dr. Owen Hunt split up, but she’s back at work and doing fine.
April Kepner
Similar to Meredith, April had to have an emergency C-section when giving birth to her daughter with Jackson, Harriet. Since she and Dr. Ben Warren were at Meredith’s house when she went into labor, she didn’t even have anesthetic during the procedure, and was rushed to Grey-Sloan Memorial to have surgery afterward.
Richard Webber
Richard was electrocuted in the Season 9 finale during the same storm in which Meredith gave birth. He underwent surgery, but it was interrupted by Dr. Catherine Avery. But Meredith was sure something was wrong–even while on maternity leave–and Dr. Miranda Bailey opened him up again to find necrotic tissue around his pancreas. Even though his recovery was long and arduous, he made it out okay.
Ellis Grey
Although she’s not a practicing doctor while Meredith is at Seattle Grace, Ellis Grey is a huge part of the series. She participates in an Alzheimer’s trial, but gets sicker and sicker and dies while Meredith is unconscious from her near-drowning ferry incident. Before that, she was additionally diagnosed with a heart condition, and Dr. Preston Burke recommended surgery. Although Ellis didn’t want to go under, Meredith had medical proxy because of her Alzheimer’s and elected for the surgery.
Arizona Robbins
After the plane crash in season eight, Arizona’s leg is fractured beyond repair. The best option is amputation, but Arizona struggles with the decision and makes Callie promise not to cut off her leg. But because of an infection and complications during surgery, Callie makes the call for amputation, causing a big rift in their relationship.