Grey's Anatomy fans were recently hit with the bombshell that there may yet another major but familiar patient in the weeks to come after Catherine informed Richard her cancer has progressed. During her previous battle with cancer, Catherine had infused some truth to the claim that "doctors make the worst patients" by constantly refusing help.
Catherine isn't the only stubborn patient as there are many others who have frustrated both fans and surgeons. However, there are those that made viewers root for them all the way. Some didn't make it but they still hold a special place in the hearts of fans. But who are these patients, according to Reddit?
Bonnie Crasnoff
Bonnie got admitted to Seattle Grace together with a man named Tom when a pole impaled the both of them after a train crash. Redditor starsstripessparkles praises her, saying, "She was just so charming and genuine and sweet (like honestly, asking for gum so the other guy could at least smell fresh breath? Amazing!)."
Being able to bond with another person while in pain is presumably no easy thing and Bonnie deserves to be lauded for that. Thanks to her positivity, the whole situation did indeed appear less serious than it actually was. Bonnie was also very realistic. Aware that she might die, she made sure to leave a message for Derek to pass on to her boyfriend. and even though she didn't make it, watching Meredith try her best to save her till the last minute was heartwarming.
Henry Burton
DAseaword is still frustrated about how Henry was killed off, writing, "I was so angry with Shonda when he died!" Suffering from Von-Hippel-Lindau syndrome, Henry came to the hospital needing surgery. Since he didn't have insurance, Teddy married him so that he could use hers.
Like many other fans, the Redditor is angry with series creator Shonda Rhimes because Henry and Teddy were slowly becoming one of the best Grey's Anatomy couples. He brought out Teddy's compassionate side while she brought out his romantic side. After all, it does take a lot of effort to light up candles inside a hospital ward when you are seriously ill. His death triggered plenty of melancholy too because it put an end to his dreams of becoming a surgeon like Teddy.
Jessica Smithson
Born with Tay-Sachs, Jessica was expected to only live until age 6. However, her father refused to give up on her, even vowing to get her to Mexico for an experimental treatment. SeattleK73 has fond memories of her, writing, "That little girl was so cute and I can relate as a parent the most. It really got my heartstrings."
The daughter-father love between Jessica and her dad, Matt, is mostly what made her stand out. She would get scared whenever he wasn't around, forcing Bailey to comfort her. On his part, Matt refused to accept that it was the end of the road for Jessica. Viewers couldn't help but hope for the journey to Mexico to happen. Sadly, it didn't.
Eli Rigler
Brina_22 loves Rabbi Eli specifically because apart from being just a patient, he "helps April come to terms with her crisis of faith." Eli had developed a rare skin condition because of complications arising from antibiotic use.
Eli's conversations about faith with April could count as some of the most heartwarming Grey's Anatomy moments. It's admirable that even though he was the one in need of help, Eli still found time to help April overcome her own crisis. With skin sloughing off his abdomen and his body in full pain, Eli still managed to dish out advice that even viewers could relate to. Sadly, his wife Elyse couldn't show up in time before he died.
Tatiana Falulo
Full-Surround reminisces about Tatiana, writing, "her friendship with Jackson was just amazing." The patient was admitted after acid had been thrown into her face, something that needed extensive surgery to fix.
There have been many great moments when patients bonded with doctors but Tatiana's friendship with Jackson arguably trumps them all. Partly inspired by Jackson's wedding, she never gave up and vowed to have a wedding of her own too someday, something that eventually happened. Her resilience was further proven by her willingness to undergo as many surgeries as possible to get better. By the time she was recovering, she had been in the OR 43 times.
William Dunn
A death row inmate, William was admitted after being stabbed with a sharpened toothbrush during a prison brawl. About him, fakesnakesablaze writes, "That was an interesting patient," adding, "I thought it was all very interesting, especially how Meredith's attitude towards him contrasted that of Derek."
No other patient brought out conflicting opinions in the Seattle Grace doctors as much as William. Some were merciful to him while some wished death upon him, especially after it emerged that his organs could help Jackson Prescott. He also got to make Meredith a more likable character. Through him, she was depicted as more reasonable than her fellow doctors. And in a sweet gesture, she attended his execution as he had requested.
Denny Duquette
Obviouis_Advantage calls Denny "the most iconic of them all." Suffering from viral cardiomyopathy, Denny came to the hospital when a heart transplant became available. While admitted, he ended up falling in love with Izzie.
Denny's record as the most generous character in Shondaland history is still unbeaten. After all, not everyone gets to leave $ 8.7 million dollars to someone they've only known a short while. It's thus easy to see why the Redditor refers to him as iconic. And he was extremely charming too, something that made Izzie's decision to leave Alex much easier.
Andrew Langston
NancyBotwinAndCeliaH simply mentions "The boy in concrete in the season 4 finale." That boy was Andrew, who had been dared by his girlfriend to jump into a vat of concrete and then got stuck.
Andrew's case was special because it literally called for an Avengers-type of team-up from the star doctors in order to treat him. It was the only time where viewers got to see a case where Richard, Erica, Mark, Callie, Bailey, Cristina, and George were all involved. Luckily, Andrew got to make a successful recovery.
Greta
Greta joined Meredith and Derek's clinical trial, hoping that her inoperable glioma could be treated. About her, ross5986 comments, "her tragedy wasn’t just her death but that she died believing her fiancé was a hallucination."
Greta only wanted to live a happy life but that never came to be, A hopeless romantic, she couldn't help but keep talking about her boyfriend, Andre. Her words quickly morphed from adorable to annoying but since she was such a nice person, fans hoped he'd be there for her. Sadly, doctors ended up believing Andre was all in her head, and eventually, so did she.
Mary Portman
Mary came to the hospital to have her colostomy bag reversal surgery done only to get trapped together with Bailey when shooter Gary Clarke went on a rampage in what it's one of the saddest Grey's Anatomy episodes. Teeple feels it's "sad that she survived Gary Clark and became close with 'Dr. B' just to die from such a simple surgery."
As the Redditor puts it, it's hard to get over the fact that Mary survived one of the deadliest events in the medical drama's history only to die from a surgery that 99% of patients normally recover from. Mary also deserves credit for being one of the few people who managed to bring out the nice side of Bailey.