Harper Avery, Jackson Avery’s grandfather, may be dead on Grey’s Anatomy — luckily for Bailey, whom he fired just before he flatlined — but his namesake award still lives on. Many Seattle surgeons have strived for that rarefied air, and only an elite few have it. Add Meredith Grey to the list! The title character of the ABC medical drama received her first Harper Avery Award in the 300th episode on the Thursday, Nov. 9 installment titled, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.”

And because Mer is such a dedicated surgeon, she opted to stay at the hospital to treat of a trio of Seattle Presbyterian doctors injured in a roller coaster crash — who bore uncanny resemblances to her former colleagues Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens, and George O'Malley — instead of flying to Boston to attend the awards ceremony.

Jackson attended the ceremony in her stead, however, and he accepted the award on her behalf, noting all of her fallen family members: her half-sister Lexie Grey, her husband, Derek Shepherd, and her mother, Ellis Grey. “She turns all that loss into drive to save lives,” he said. (In fact, as Mer watched a webcast of the awards ceremony along with the rest of her colleagues, she had a vision of mama Ellis — who’s a two-time Harper Avery recipient herself.)

Even better, as Meredith and Alex Karev popped some bubbly to celebrate her win, she got a call all the way from Switzerland. Cristina, her best friend and a onetime Harper Avery nominee, was phoning home to congratulate her on the achievement. Now… how high will Mer soar in the _next _ 300 episodes?

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