A former New York news anchor in urgent need of a liver transplant received a life-changing phone call this week, thanks to a longtime viewer who turned out to be a perfect match.
Viewer Steps Forward as Living Donor
Amy McGorry, 56, had been searching for a living liver donor after battling two chronic autoimmune diseases for years. The breakthrough came when a viewer, moved by coverage of her story, came forward and was found to be an ideal match.
McGorry described the donor as “a true angel” in a video posted on Instagram. The woman, who is not related to McGorry, has chosen to remain anonymous. She underwent extensive testing before doctors at Weill Cornell Medicine confirmed she could donate. The surgery is scheduled for June.
Emotional Call While Teaching
McGorry, who lives in Sea Cliff, received the call while teaching a health sciences class at Long Island University in Brookville. “I broke down and cried,” she told Newsday. “I couldn’t believe someone would come forward and do this for me … I walked back into my health sciences class and they all clapped.”
Long Battle with Autoimmune Diseases
McGorry, a former News12 anchor who now contributes to NewsdayTV, has spent decades in journalism. Since college, she has battled autoimmune hepatitis, later compounded by primary biliary cholangitis – a progressive disease that damages the bile ducts and liver.
Her condition worsened significantly over the past year, reaching a critical point when she was hospitalized six months ago. Doctors told her in February that she needed a new liver. Due to long wait times for deceased donor organs, her best chance was finding a living donor – someone healthy enough to donate a portion of their liver, which can regenerate in both donor and recipient.
Public Appeal Leads to Life-Saving Match
McGorry asked her followers and the public for help in an emotional Instagram video posted on March 11. Local media outlets helped spread the word, and a loyal News12 viewer saw coverage of her condition and came forward.
“The fact that there are good people willing to help out a stranger makes you feel good about humanity,” she told Greater Long Island. “It gives you hope.”
Now preparing for the procedure, McGorry is focused on building her strength ahead of the surgery and the weeks-long recovery expected to follow. She has also become an advocate for transplant patients, traveling to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to support the Living Donor Protection Act, which aims to expand job protections for organ donors. Her surgery is set for June.
