Stephanie was born with sickle-cell disease. At the age of five, she was put in a clinical trial at St. Jude that used bone marrow transplants to treat the disease.

What is wrong with Edwards on GREY's?

Stephanie Edwards was a surgical resident at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital until she quit to explore and travel after an explosion in the hospital caused her significant burns.

Why was Stephanie Edwards in the hospital as a kid?

While rehabilitating a patient who's had brain trauma and has trouble moving her body, Stephanie broke down, disclosing her painful childhood: as a young girl, she was put through a sickle cell clinical trial for years, which forever tainted her.