Veronica Kays is a woman who came into the clinic with a rash and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Quick Answers
How did Veronica's rash lead to a cancer diagnosis?
How did Veronica's pregnancy come about unexpectedly?
What pact did Veronica make with her friend Jeremy?
Why did Veronica go to the courthouse for a traffic ticket?
History[]
Pact with Jeremy[]
Veronica and her childhood best friend, Jeremy, made a pact that if they were still single at age 40, they'd make a baby together. Veronica pictured it being a test tube conception, but learned how expensive that was. They got drunk one night and had sex, which resulted in Veronica being pregnant.
Traffic Ticket[]
Veronica went to the courthouse to fight a traffic ticket, banking on the cop not showing up. She admitted she had run the stop sign, but because she was pregnant, she needed every dollar she could save to help pay for that. In the security line at the courthouse, she met Alex, who noticed a rash on her hands. He told her he worked at a free clinic and recommended that she get the rash checked out.
Getting Diagnosed with Cancer[]
Later that day, Veronica came to the clinic and Alex examined her. In addition to the rash, he also noticed yellow in the whites of her eyes, indicating jaundice, and she noted that she'd lost weight despite being sixteen weeks pregnant. Suspecting that she had pancreatic cancer, Alex insisted that she get a surgical consult from Bailey. Bailey ran tests and confirmed Alex's suspicions. She had advanced pancreatic cancer and needed to start treatment immediately.
Veronica was told that Bailey recommended termination so she could start chemotherapy the next day. Veronica resisted, because even with treatment, she only had less than a year to live. However, without treatment, she wouldn't live long enough to have a healthy baby. Alex suggested a Whipple, which would remove the bulk of the tumor, which could buy her enough time to deliver a healthy baby. Bailey refused, but when Veronica talked to her about seeing images of the baby growing up with Jeremy and not seeing those when she went the way Bailey was suggesting, Bailey agreed to do the surgery.
The surgery went well and they hoped it would buy her enough time. However, she was still terminal herself. ("Roar")
Baby's Birth and Her Death[]
When she was 34 weeks and 3 days pregnant, Veronica came back to the hospital with back pain, which she'd had for a week. An MRI showed that the cancer had spread to her spine and she needed to have a c-section that day. Before her surgery, she signed a DNR. Arizona easily delivered her baby, but she developed a clot that went to her lung and she struggled to breathe after the delivery. They said she could rescind her DNR, but she said she was tired and so they just stayed with her while she died. After she was gone, Alex told Jeremy about her death and he cried. ("Don't Stop Me Now")
Relationships[]
Familial[]
She and Jeremy have a son together.
Friendships[]
She and Jeremy met as children and became friends. Their friendship remained into adulthood, when they made a pact to have a baby together at age 40 if they were still single then. When the time came, the learned it would be expensive. However, a drunken night led to them conceiving a child together. ("Roar")
As she was dying, she admitted that she loved Jeremy and had never told him that. She asked Amelia to tell him not to look back and to be brave for their son. ("Don't Stop Me Now")
Notes and Trivia[]
- She doesn't believe in God.[1]
- Hospitals give her the creeps.[2]
- She thinks that people need to start with Episode 4 when watching the Star Wars movies.[3]
- Her last words were "The baby’s good?"[4]
Gallery[]
Episodic[]
Episode Stills[]
Appearances[]
| Grey's Anatomy, Season 13 | |||||
| #01 | "Undo" | #09 | "You Haven't Done Nothin'" | #17 | "Till I Hear It From You" |
| #02 | "Catastrophe and the Cure" | #10 | "You Can Look (But You'd Better Not Touch)" | #18 | "Be Still, My Soul" |
| #03 | "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" | #11 | "Jukebox Hero" | #19 | "What's Inside" |
| #04 | "Falling Slowly" | #12 | "None of Your Business" | #20 | "In the Air Tonight" |
| #05 | "Both Sides Now" | #13 | "It Only Gets Much Worse" | #21 | "Don't Stop Me Now" |
| #06 | "Roar" | #14 | "Back Where You Belong" | #22 | "Leave It Inside" |
| #07 | "Why Try to Change Me Now" | #15 | "Civil War" | #23 | "True Colors" |
| #08 | "The Room Where It Happens" | #16 | "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?" | #24 | "Ring of Fire" |