All Time Favorite Grey’s Patients

Grey’s Anatomy has had over 1000 patients over the course of the 12 seasons but only a few of them have really stood out to us. From the men we fell in love with to cute kids whose deaths made us cry, we compiled a list of the 15 most lovable patients from Grey’s.

*we purposely didn’t include any of the hospital’s doctors on this list*

15. Isaac

He was the patient who inspired the tumor that was drawn on the wall in Derek and Meredith’s bedroom. This is the tumor that almost got Derek fired from the hospital.

First seen: season 6 episode 7

Portrayed by: Faran Tahir

Status: ALIVE

14. Jack

Jack is the little guy from last season who got into a car crash with his older brother. He provided us with comic relief and cuteness overload throughout the episode as Dr. Bailey tried to persuade him to give her his parents’ details.

First seen: season 11 episode 9

Portrayed by: Nicolas Bechtel

Status: ALIVE

13. Jen Harmon

This cheeseburger-lover is probably the patient with the worst luck on this list. She ran over her husband with her car while she was pregnant so she took him to the hospital and found out that she had a brain aneurysm. Derek performed her repair even though he was very tired from another surgery because she begged him to. But then he botched it and this drove him to depression.

First seen: season 5 episode 15

Portrayed by: Jennifer Westfeldt

Status: DEAD

12. Ryan

The son of the cafeteria lady who went round the hospital with Meredith on Halloween “trick or treating for ears”. His best moment was when he plotted with Derek to pretend he was Mark’s son.

First seen: season 4 episode 5

Portrayed by: Dylan Minnette

Status: ALIVE

11. Jeremiah Tate

Jeremiah wasn’t one to let his cystic fibrosis slow him down. He raised $100,000 annually for his disease by running triathlons. He was one of Dr. Bailey’s first patients and continued to be her patient for 5 years until he died during his exploratory laparotomy.

First seen: season 2 episode 4

Portrayed by: Thomas Ian Nicholas

Status: DEAD

10. Beth Monroe

She was introduced to us as a participant in Derek and Meredith’s clinical trial and became their first survivor. A very emotional and strong-headed girl; she insisted on continuing to date her forbidden boyfriend, Jeremy, who was also in the trial. She even got Meredith and Derek to stand guard while she and Jeremy lost their virginity to each other in a private patient room.

First seen: season 4 episode 16

Portrayed by: Jurnee Smollett

Status: ALIVE

9. Mary Portman

She was at the hospital for a simple colostomy bag reversal surgery on the day that Gary Clark decided to shoot up the place. She was with Dr. Bailey as they tried and failed to keep Dr. Percy alive. She came back again to do the surgery in season 7 but never woke up from the anesthesia.

First seen: season 6 episode 23

Portrayed by: Mandy Moore

Status: DEAD

8. Bonnie Crasnoff

This incredibly brave woman suffered from massive internal injuries after a metal pole ran through her and a stranger, Tom, during a train wreck. Meredith grew emotionally attached to her because she served as a metaphor for Mer being left behind after Derek chose Addison. Bonnie asked Derek to tell her fiance that “if love were enough, she would still be with him”.

First seen: season 2 episode 6

Portrayed by: Monica Keena

Status: DEAD

7. JJ

JJ was Dr. Avery’s burn patient who selflessly helped another burn patient through her debridment with advice, jokes and cheesy Seven Dwarves puns. She died on New Years Day, leaving Anne (the other patient) and Dr. Wilson agrief.

First seen: season 11 episode 22

Portrayed by: Nicole Sullivan

Status: DEAD

6. Wallace Anderson

Precocious pediatric patient who shared a birthday with Dr. Robbins. Even though Arizona failed to treat his short gut syndrome, his parents awarded Seattle Grace with $25 million because of her efforts.

First seen: season 6 episode 8

Portrayed by: Khamani Griffin

Status: DEAD

5. Shelly Boden

This joyful, gossipy patient bonded with Izzie and Meredith. She made Mer dish on Mer’s relationship with Derek just so she wouldn’t have to think about her colon cancer. This is why when the doctors eventually found it to be untreatable we all had tears in our eyes. Why you gotta kill all the nice ones, Shonda? No fair.

First seen: season 5 episode 3

Portrayed by: Samantha Quan

Status: unknown

4. Nick Hanscom

Speaking of nice patients that didn’t have to be killed!! Nick was Mark’s patient with an exposed carotid artery. All the doctors were warned about what dangers could occur if his carotid burst but they still weren’t prepared unfortunately. He spent his last day flirting with Lexie the entire time.

First seen: season 4 episode 10

Portrayed by: Seth Green

Status: DEAD

3. Henry Burton

Henry was a chronically ill patient who Dr. Altman married, just so he could be able to share her health insurance. He was a former pro baseball player who now had von Hippel-Lindau and diabetes. He began to bond with Teddy when she periodically updated him on all the bad dates she went on. They ended up falling in love but just as they got happy he died from his disease on Christina’s OR table.

First seen: season 7 episode 10

Portrayed by: Scott Foley

Status: DEAD

2. Charlie Yost

Otherwise known as “really old guy”! He was an adorable semi-comatose patient whose room Meredith, Christina, George, Izzie and Alex decided to use as a dining area. He woke up a year later, determined to die but Izzie wouldn’t let him. He said, “if somebody really wanted to do something, then they’d do it” and he did.

First seen: season 4 episode 3

Portrayed by: Jack Axelrod

Status: DEAD

1. Denny Duquette

“Capricorn, single, loves to travel and cook” is the way Denny introduced himself to Izzie and the audience. As he fell in love with Izzie, I fell in love with him and so I was completely devastated when he died. I’m honestly tearing up as I write this so I won’t say more. I know you understand.

First seen: season 2 episode 13

Portrayed by: Jeffery Dean Morgan

Status: IN HEAVEN