Liz Shepherd is the sister of Derek and Amelia Shepherd.
History
Early Life
Liz grew up with her siblings and mother; she lost her father as a child.
Donating her Nerve
Meredith ordered Heather Brooks to call Derek's sisters to ask them if they wanted to donate a nerve to fix Derek's hand. Liz was the one who agreed and she came over to Seattle. When she arrived, she told Meredith she wanted her to always be part of the family, and not only when she needed something. When it was realized that Callie and Jackson would have to take more nerve from Lizzie's calves for Derek's hand to regain function, Derek initially told Lizzie that the operation was off. However after Meredith and Lizzie's discussion which led to Lizzie pushing Derek towards the surgery, the operation went ahead.
After the operation, Meredith, wanting to show Lizzie her appreciation, visited Liz and showed her her ultrasound, revealing that she's pregnant. Lizzie was
Lizzie recovering from donating her nerve
really happy that there would be a baby in the family.
Relationships
Lizzie has several children, whom she mentioned when criticizing Meredith for not visiting or letting her family come to see Zola. Lizzie's children make up a portion of Derek's 5 nephews and 9 nieces.
Liz feels like her mother doesn't love her.
Career
Lizzie was previously revealed to be a doctor like her three sisters and brother Derek, during their mother's (Carolyn Shepherd) visit to Seattle Grace where she said she gave birth to five doctors.
While no medical specialty is expressly stated. It is believed, based on her interaction with Heather Brooks and correctly stating that Heather's dislike over being put in the middle of Meredith and Derek's argument is because of her parent's messy divorce and how they would also put her in the middle of their fights; and that the medical details of the nerve surgery had to be explained so much, that it is likely Psychology (Ph.D) or Psychiatry (M.D.) and not a surgical specialty.
Notes and Trivia
- She mentioned in Run, Baby, Run that her kids were excited about Derek and Meredith adopting Zola.
- Despite that they don't communicate with one another that much, Derek told Liz about the plane crash, including Lexie's death.
- It has yet to be revealed the specialty that Liz practices. It seems unlikely though that she is another neurosurgeon, as the nerve donation procedure had to be explained thoroughly and Liz was not aware of its consequences to her body.