The Remarkable Journey of Heather McNamara: A Tale of Survival and Triumph

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Written By Lori Walker

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A young woman who once touched the hearts of many in the Tri-State area with her groundbreaking and life-saving surgery has passed away.

You might remember Heather McNamara from a commercial for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in 2011 when she was just 7 years old. In the commercial, she talked about how doctors had to remove and then replace many of her organs to remove a baseball-sized tumor.

The surgery, which lasted 23 hours, was so rare that it was featured in an episode of “The Good Doctor.” Dr. Tomoaki Kato, a world-renowned surgeon, performed the surgery, removing six of Heather’s major organs to cut out the cancerous tumor and then putting everything back together. Many other doctors had said this surgery couldn’t be done, but it was successful. Heather was the first child to undergo this procedure.

In 2019, Eyewitness News reporter Kemberly Richardson met Heather, who was then a freshman in college. Heather mentioned that she had been scared to die but felt it would be okay if she did.

Heather’s mother announced her passing, stating that the 22-year-old had been battling a bacterial infection and multi-organ failure for months. Despite her lifelong illness, Heather was resilient. She graduated from Islip East Islip High School and dedicated herself to volunteer work and service projects. As a tribute to the doctors and nurses who helped her, Heather became an EMT and planned to become a paramedic.

Heather’s family asks that people honor her memory by performing an act of kindness, in remembrance of a young woman who made the most of every moment of her life.

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