A longtime television viewer has stepped forward to donate part of her liver to veteran New York journalist Amy McGorry. McGorry has spent decades living with two chronic autoimmune liver diseases that progressively damaged her liver and eventually made transplantation medically necessary.
Amy McGorry, 56, announced this week that physicians at Weill Cornell Medicine had identified a compatible living donor after weeks of public appeals and media coverage of her health journey.
McGorry, who lives in Sea Cliff, New York, received the call while teaching a health sciences class at Long Island University’s LIU Post campus in Brookville. She later told Newsday that she broke down in tears after learning that a donor had been found and said her students applauded when she returned to class and shared the news.
The donor, an unrelated woman who has chosen to remain anonymous, reportedly came forward after watching television coverage of McGorry’s search for a donor through News 12 and other local media outlets. According to reports from People and The Independent, after undergoing extensive medical evaluation and compatibility testing, physicians confirmed that she was a match.
McGorry is scheduled to undergo living donor liver transplant surgery in June. According to reports, the operation is expected to last approximately eight hours, followed by several weeks of recovery and rehabilitation.
McGorry has reportedly lived with autoimmune hepatitis since college. Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks liver cells, causing inflammation that may eventually lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver failure if not adequately controlled. 1
She later developed primary biliary cholangitis, also known as PBC, another autoimmune liver disease in which the immune system gradually damages the small bile ducts inside the liver. Over time, bile accumulation can cause progressive liver injury and scarring. 2
According to reports, the combination of these two conditions progressively impaired McGorry’s liver function over many years. Her condition worsened significantly last summer after a series of health complications. She reportedly collapsed about six months ago and required hospitalization. In February, physicians informed her that she needed a new liver after developing dangerous internal bleeding related to advanced liver disease.
McGorry reportedly required a donor with O-positive blood, further narrowing the pool of potential living donors.
Facing long waiting times for deceased donor organs, McGorry’s physicians reportedly told her that a living donor represented her best chance for timely transplantation.
On March 11, McGorry posted an emotional video on social media asking viewers and followers for help in finding a donor. Local media outlets amplified her appeal, eventually reaching the viewer who volunteered for evaluation.
In an Instagram video posted after learning the news, McGorry thanked her supporters, medical team, and donor.
“Yesterday was a whirlwind,” she said, later calling the donor “a true angel.”
She also told Greater Long Island that the experience renewed her faith in people.
“The fact that there are good people willing to help out a stranger makes you feel good about humanity. It gives you hope.”
Living donor liver transplantation is a surgical procedure in which a healthy person donates a portion of their liver to someone with severe liver disease or liver failure who requires transplantation. 3
Unlike most organs, the liver has a unique regenerative ability. After surgery, the transplanted liver segment in the recipient and the remaining liver tissue in the donor can both regrow over time and recover near-normal function. 3
Living donor transplantation can shorten waiting times for patients whose conditions may worsen while awaiting a deceased donor organ. The procedure also allows surgery to be planned in advance after both donor and recipient complete extensive medical, surgical, and psychological evaluations to confirm safety and compatibility. 3
During her transplant search, McGorry also became an advocate for living organ donation. In April, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to support the Living Donor Protection Act, proposed legislation designed to strengthen employment and insurance protections for living organ donors during recovery.
McGorry is now spending the weeks before surgery focusing on building physical strength and preparing for transplantation and post-operative recovery.
Mayo Clinic, “Autoimmune Hepatitis,” accessed May 6, 2026.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autoimmune-hepatitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352153
Mayo Clinic, “Primary Biliary Cholangitis,” accessed May 6, 2026.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/primary-biliary-cholangitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20376874
Mayo Clinic, “Living-Donor Liver Transplant,” accessed May 6, 2026.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/living-donor-liver-transplant/pyc-20384846
(Rh/MSM)