Jennifer McBride spent 15 years watching her health decline before a liver transplant in October 2017 gave her a second chance at life. Nearly nine years later, she stood face-to-face with the daughter of the man whose liver now keeps her alive, hugging, laughing, and crying together at DonorConnect’s Murray facility.
McBride was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis at age 30, according to FOX 13 News Utah. The rare chronic liver disease affects up to 1 in 10,000 people, causing progressive bile duct scarring that typically leads to liver failure 10 to 15 years after diagnosis, with transplantation as the only known cure, per the Mayo Clinic. Before her transplant, McBride’s sister and sister-in-law both attempted to become living donors but were unable to because of health reasons, the station reports.
McBride was eventually called to rush to the hospital after a possible liver match was found, though that first potential match did not pan out. She ultimately received the liver of Jerry Wayne Amussen, a 76-year-old man who died in 2017 and whose final act, in the words of his daughter Kerri Cronk, was helping someone keep living.
A Familiar Face From Utah Mornings
Cronk is a longtime FOX 13 morning news anchor who spent 30 years on the air at Good Day Utah before stepping down in September 2024 to relocate to Australia with her husband, according to a Facebook post marking her departure. She was back visiting Utah when McBride recognized her and approached her at a local restaurant, according to the same account…