FOX News' Ed Henry taking medical leave to donate liver to his sister

FOX News' Ed Henry, who is the network's Chief National Correspondent, will take a medical leave of absence in order to donate his liver to his sister.

An emotional Henry first revealed the news on-air on Sunday, beginning to cry as he confirmed that his sister, Colleen, has long suffered from a degenerative liver disease and was far down on a transplant waiting list. While he did not go into detail about her condition, he noted in a subsequent column that it is caused by genetics and family history, not abuse of alcohol.

"On Tuesday [July 9], I will be donating approximately 30 percent of my liver to my sister at a hospital in the Northeast," Henry wrote in his Fox News op-ed. "I will undergo about six hours of surgery to remove that portion of my liver, and in an operating room next door Colleen will go through about eight to 10 hours of surgery to entirely remove her diseased liver and replace it with part of my liver."

The liver, he continued, will regenerate inside both his body and his sister's body upon implementation, he said, describing the procedure as a "medical marvel, and yet doctors in this great country called America perform these miracles pretty frequently."

Doctors told Henry that before he could donate, he would have to lose "10 to 15 pounds to cleanse fat from my liver." He turned to a company called Kettlebell Kitchen, he said, to design a custom meal plan for his specific goal.

"The pounds came off with the low-calorie food, more regular workouts, and a big reduction in alcohol intake," he said.

A GoFundMe for Henry's sister describes her as a single mom of two: "Despite the challenges of her deteriorating health, Colleen tirelessly has worked two jobs," the page reads. "She is humble and loved by everyone she meets."

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