Despite just introducing them at the start of season 10, Chicago Med may already be gently guiding one of its newest characters toward the exit sign. The Chicago Med season 10 finale is full of twists and turns, most of which have surprisingly little to do with the episode’s heavily advertised hostage crisis. Between Asher’s (Jessy Schram) pregnancy and Washington’s (John Earl Jelks) departure following his breakup with Goodwin (S. Epatha Merkerson), Chicago Med season 11 is already set up for some highly consequential adjustments to Gaffney’s status quo.
Unfortunately, major status quo changes often lead to goodbyes. Like many of One Chicago’s saddest character exits, Gaffney’s medical staff don’t generally turn their backs on Chicago Med in the wake of good news. Connor Rhodes (Colin Donnell) left because of deaths in the family. Sarah Reese (Rachel DiPillo) left because Charles (Oliver Platt) nearly let her serial killer father die. Sully (Daniel Dorr) died offscreen from a blood clot within moments of Lenox (Sarah Ramos) agreeing to put off his return to prison. Now, it appears that one of Gaffney’s latest additions could be set up to leave after a similarly devastating reveal.
Caitlin Lenox Tests Positive For GSS Prion Disease In The Chicago Med Season 10 Finale
Kip Still Has No Idea What His Sister Is Going Through Alone
Details regarding the death of Caitlin’s mother leaked out gradually throughout Chicago Med, but it’s eventually revealed that she passed away after a difficult struggle with prion disease. Specifically, she died from Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS), a rare condition with no known path to recovery. After a scare involving her brother Kip (Logan Miller) leads to them both getting tested, Caitlin lies to her brother about her positive test results so that he won’t worry about her. She currently plans to continue working for as long as she can, as if nothing is happening.
This has already led to theories about Sarah Ramos leaving Chicago Med as Caitlin Lenox, and the response to these rumors has been varied. Initially, many fans hated Lenox for her overbearing personality and apparent God complex. These criticisms were quite vocally shared by Dean Archer (Steven Weber), another character many fans disliked until around season 6. Some have softened to the character as she began removing small chunks of her armor, and she’s arguably become one of the best in the series. Unfortunately, her diagnosis doesn’t leave her much more room for continued growth.
Lenox Can’t Realistically Continue At Gaffney Long After Chicago Med Season 11
She Could Be Prevented From Working In As Little As A Few Months
There’s no reason to believe Caitlin will go AWOL before the start of Chicago Med season 11, but it’s unclear how much time she’ll have before her plan to work through the grief becomes unsustainable. Although some patients don’t experience symptoms until age 50 and can live up to 15 years, the average life expectancy after diagnosis for GSS is only five years with symptoms sometimes beginning at age 35. Ramos is currently 34, which suggests that Lenox may not have long before her neurodegenerative symptoms impede her ability to perform surgery.
Just because a character quits at Gaffney doesn’t mean they can’t still appear. Although he was why Sarah Reese left Chicago Med in the first place, Rachel DiPillo returned as Sarah to make good with Charles in season 10. But the symptoms of GSS share traits with other debilitating conditions such as ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Even if she survives for a full 15 years, Lenox might not feel like the same character for very long after her symptoms take hold. And if she can’t head the emergency floor, it’s hard to imagine how she’d remain part of the series.
How Caitlin’s Diagnosis Could Affect Her Chicago Med Season 11 Story
Lenox Can’t Keep Her GSS A Secret Forever
Even if she becomes unable to work by the end of season 11, Caitlin Lenox can still feature. She might receive visits from Naomi (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut), Mitch (Luke Mitchell), Sharon, or even Dean. As of now, the length of time before she starts experiencing symptoms remains one of the biggest unanswered questions from Chicago Med season 10. But at the very least, Chicago Med season 11 needs to address Caitlin hiding her diagnosis from Kip. Sadly, he might come by this information in the hardest way possible.
If Caitlin’s dedicated to hiding her diagnosis, the most obvious time for Kip to find out is when she starts showing symptoms of neurodegeneration. However, there’s at least a chance that the mildest symptoms won’t begin until near the end of Chicago Med season 11. Although GSS only has a life expectancy of 5 years after diagnosis, the words “after diagnosis” are significant here. Most people are diagnosed after they start showing symptoms, whereas Lenox had other reasons for getting tested. Hopefully, that means she has a little extra time.
