Monica Zarr

Monica Zarr was a patient at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

Rectal Cancer
Monica was diagnosed with rectal cancer. She had a bowel resection to treat it and was in remission, but she was left with poor sphincter control.

Return to Work
Once in remission, Monica planned a grand return to the stage. During rehearsals, she was able to get through it with frequent trips to the bathroom. However, on the first full run-through, she wasn’t able to escape to the bathroom and she pooped on stage in the middle of a dance. She was humiliated and stopped dancing.

Sacral Nerve Stimulator
Dr. Webber inserted a sacral nerve stimulator to reduce the frequency of Monica’s bowel movements. However, it didn’t work as well as he hoped and he decided to remove it.

Magnetic Sphincter
Inspired by a similar procedure done at the base of the esophagus to reduce acid reflux, Dr. Murphy suggested they insert a magnetic sphincter to control Monica’s bowels. Both Paul and Monica were excited to hear about the device and agreed to the surgery. The device was inserted successfully.

Paul Zarr
Monica is married to Paul Zarr.

Career
Monica is a professional dancer. She had to quit dancing while being treated for cancer. When she was in remission, she attempted a grand return to the stage, but during the first full run-through, without the ability to run to the bathroom frequently, Monica had a humiliating experience when she pooped in the middle of a dance.

Notes and Trivia

 * Before her magnetic sphincter was implanted, she was pooping every 4 hours and 26 minutes.