Nov. 06--Shonda Rhimes' stint as a candy striper while attending high school in Chicago Heights inspired her to create "Grey's Anatomy," she told People magazine in an article posted online Friday.
"It felt like there were a thousand stories in every room and there is something really great about that idea," said Rhimes, a Marian Catholic High School alumna. "And then surgery, just the idea that you could hold a human being's heart in your hand and you are responsible for life or death."
Rhimes, who also is the creator of "Scandal" and an executive producer of "How to Get Away with Murder," is set to receive the Producers Guild of America's Norman Lear Achievement Award in January to honor her work in television, the guild announced this week.
Her first book, "Year of Yes," is slated to hit shelves Tuesday.
Rhimes' shows air Thursdays on ABC. "Grey's Anatomy," which is in its 12th season, airs at 7 p.m., "Scandal" at 8 p.m., and "How to Get Away with Murder" at 9 p.m.
