Amy Oestreicher was an ambitious, audacious teenager who had her life all planned out go to college, win a Tony, and conquer the world. But life took an unexpected detour when the week before her high school senior prom, she found herself in unusual pain. She was rushed to the emergency room, and due to a blood clot, Amy's stomach exploded to the ceiling of the operating room. After both lungs collapsed, she almost died.
Months later, she awoke from a coma covered in tubes, bags, and drains, and was told that she had no stomach anymore, she could not eat or drink, and it was not certain if or when she would ever taste one bite ever again. It took 24 surgeries and over three years, but eventually, Amy was miraculously reconstructed, and with the intestines she had left, was given a system that digests food.
Come for an evening of inspiring story-telling and song as she shares the disappointments, the triumphs, and the humor - the challenges, the battles, and ultimately the gifts of what Amy received from this experience. It is a story of hope, determination, and perseverance a way to share her gratitude and strength with the world. Through the ups and downs, Amy's fight proves that you never know what you are capable of until you are asked to the challenge and the human spirit can prevail over any odds.
Through seven years of surgeries and medical crises, Amy never let herself feel like a "patient" or "victim." Rather than mourn her hunger, she started a chocolate business, a food blog, learned karate, starred in musicals, put up three art shows, and taught nursery school. Through it all, Amy has always kept her spirit alive and her appetite for life ravenous. Amy was featured on CBS and the TODAY show, where she shared her joy and gratitude for being alive, as well as her hunger for everything life can offer. With musical direction from acclaimed musical director David Brunetti and renowned composer David Friedman, the act also includes a song David Friedman wrote especially for Amy with lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford
