(Originally published by the Daily News on June 9, 1995.)
A gift from a stranger gave Mickey Mantle a fresh chance at life last night.
After 61/2 hours of liver transplant surgery, the legendary Yankee opened his eyes for a moment at 3:30 p.m., groaned and then slipped back into unconsciousness when Dr. Goran Klintmalm, a transplant team member, said: "Hi Mickey. How are you?"
Mantle's dramatic surgery unfolded in the pre-dawn at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas after his condition swiftly deteriorated because of the cancer and hepatitis consuming hs liver.
Doctors would not reveal the identity of Mantle's benefactor, saying only that he provided seven other organs to six other people.