Amy Silverstein

Heart Transplant Survivor

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Biography

Author of the acclaimed memoir, Sick Girl, healthcare speaker Amy Silverstein has experienced more in her young life than many ever expected. As a vibrant, energetic 24-year-old Phi Beta Kappa student at NYU Law, she learned that she had a failing heart – and would die without a transplant. At 25, she underwent transplant surgery, and for 20 years, her new heart has been beating strong. Read More >

In 2007, Silverstein published Sick Girl, her critically acclaimed memoir detailing her life and challenges. Voted winner of the Books for a Better Life Award and a finalist for the Borders Original Voice Award, Sick Girl has been called “remarkable” by Ted Koppel, “highly recommended” by Larry King, and “spectacular” by Dr. Mehmet Oz. The first book ever serialized by US News & World Report, it received more reader response than any health story in the magazine ever.

A popular inspirational speaker, Amy Silverstein shows audiences around the country that it is possible to overcome the biggest, most frightening health obstacles in our lives, and become successful in spite of challenges. While most of us will never experience a heart transplant at such a young age, her story is an “incisive, unflinching look at life, love, and extraordinary courage” that has changed lives. Read Less ^

Speaker Videos

Interview on the CBS Early Show

Speech Topics

My Glory Was I Had Such Friends

Amy Silverstein's new heart—received when she was 25—beat strong for twenty-six years, far longer than its ten-year prognosis. Then, as her steadfast heart failed, the acclaimed author of Sick Girl was hospitalized, and her friends crossed the country in shifts as she waited on the precipice for a life-saving heart transplant. Amy Silverstein tells a once-in-a-lifetime story about the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit. Soon be a limited TV-series on Apple+, My Glory Was I Had Such Friends stars Jennifer Garner and tells the story about the power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit. Hear about the nine wonderful women who came together and never left her side, providing what medicine alone could not, as she waited on the precipice for her life-saving heart transplant. This presentation is a tribute to her women friends and the intense hours they spent together—hours of heightened emotion and self-awareness, where everything was laid bare. Candid and heartrending, this once-in-a-lifetime story of connection and empathy is a powerful reminder of the importance of "showing up" for those we love.

The Vital Connection Between Humanity in Medicine & Medical Triumph

Books & Media

Books

Sick Girl