For the last 13 years, Caterina Scorsone has played one of my favorite characters on Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy — Amelia Shepherd.
Between starring on Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy and guest-starring on Station 19, Caterina has appeared in over 260 episodes as Amelia, and she's brought to life so many important storylines on the show by depicting Amelia's sobriety, losing a child, an LGBTQ+ relationship, and more.
And now that Ellen Pompeo has departed Grey's Anatomy as a series regular and Kelly McCreary, who plays Maggie Pierce, is leaving the show at the end of Season 19, Caterina is the last remaining Grey-Shepherd sister to regularly appear on the show come Season 20.
That's all to say that Caterina is an important member of the Grey's Anatomy family, and she's one of the most beloved cast members among fans. So, I'm incredibly happy she's okay after she revealed that a couple of months ago, her house burned down while she and her children were inside.
"A couple of months ago my house burned down. While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub. When I looked down the hallway a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house," Caterina wrote in a recent Instagram post.
She continued, saying, "One thing about fires: they happen fast. I had about two minutes to get my three kids out of the house, and we escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful."
While thankfully Caterina and her three daughters made it out safely, she revealed that they lost everything, including their beloved pets, sharing, "Heartbreakingly, we lost all four of our pets. We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all."
After detailing what happened and sadly everything she and her three daughters lost, Caterina took the time to shoutout the incredible support system she had around her during these difficult months.
"This is not a post about a fire. This is a post about community. This is a love letter to the incredible people that showed up and the incredible ways that they did," she said.
"Thank you to the firefighters and the investigators (thank you Trey!) Thank you to my neighbor who answered our frantic knocks at her door. Thank you to the parents at my kids’ school who sent toys and books."
Caterina then thanked her Grey's Anatomy and Shondaland family, who "sent clothing and supplies" after the fire, as well as her sisters "who flew in to handle logistics" and her personal team who made "everything easier."
To close out the Instagram post, Caterina reflected on how they may have lost a lot, but it really put into perspective what is important, like family, community, and more.
She wrote, "What we learned is that the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love. The only thing that matters is community. We would not be here without it and we are so grateful. Thank you."
In the comments on the post, Caterina's Grey's Anatomy costars penned some heartfelt notes that they are keeping her and her family in their thoughts.
E.R. Fightmaster, who plays Amelia's partner Kai, praised Caterina for being "brave," while Chris Carmack, who stars as Link, wrote, "I hope I can follow your example of grace under terrible circumstances."
And Jake Borelli and Camilla Luddington, who star as Schmitt and Jo, respectively, praised her for being an incredible human and mom.
I'm so glad Caterina and her family are safe. Actual real-life superhero right here.
