SARAH FORGANY
Heart for Storytelling:
Sarah Forgany’s Journey of Resilience and Connection
By Dawn Robinette, APR | Photography by Jennifer Denton
Delivering the news with professionalism, warmth, and authenticity for 15 years in San Antonio, KENS-5 anchor Sarah Forgany is a trusted voice, and a familiar face viewers welcome into their home at noon, 4 and 5 p.m.
But being a reporter is not what she had in mind as a career. It’s not even what she planned for in college.
“I think of it as fate now, but it was nothing I had planned for or ever saw myself doing. But looking back, I truly think I was meant to do this job. I was looking through all the majors and minors that I felt suited my personality. When I came across media production, it caught my attention. I told my dad I wanted to give it a try. He said, ‘Try whatever you want as long as you give it 100%. Whatever you do, if you give it your all and more, you will succeed.’”
She took that guidance to heart, diving into her classes, landing an internship, and even working for free to gain experience, but behind the scenes. Then as she was editing stories for reporters, she sometimes wanted to retell the story her own way.
She asked her manager for permission to go out in the field to see what reporting was like – for free and on her own time. “I would do my own interviews and come back and write my own stories. But I still lacked confidence in myself. I didn’t know if I was on-air ready.”
The photographers who worked with her knew better and urged her to try. “Having people like that around you that support you is so important because sometimes the people around you can see in you what you can’t see in yourself because you are holding yourself back.”
That experience fuels the advice she gives to others. “Be open to honest criticism. Don’t ask the people who will tell you that you’re great all the time – ask the ones who will say you’re doing this well, but here’s something else you can work on that will propel you even further and help you grow. When you are honest with yourself and push yourself to improve, it will help you flourish and bring out your best.”
She began reporting in Lafayette, Louisiana and was then offered the opportunity to anchor the weekend news. She wasn’t sure if it was the right fit but said yes. “When God puts something in your way, and it’s meant for you, it’s amazing what you can find out about yourself when you push yourself to do something out of your comfort zone.”
And that skill set she learned during her years working in production? “It makes me a stronger reporter and news anchor. I can pick up a camera and shoot my own story. I can edit my own video.”
Born in Cairo, Egypt, the Houston-raised Forgany has been part of the KENS-5 team first as a reporter, then as an anchor, for 15 years. “San Antonio is a very different market. The people here feel like they are family. It’s a large city but a tight-knit community, and it feels like that. I feel like everybody knows everybody. Everybody is a part of you. And that truly amazes me because you don’t have that in other markets. It’s a very special thing to have, and I’m grateful for it.
“Being a people person is what I think has made me successful. It comes from the bottom of my heart. I love people. I love to be around people. I love to get to know people. I think people feel it when you’re genuine. They know I’m genuine. They know I care.”
That inspires her work. “When I meet someone and tell their story, it’s not just a story. I put all my effort into trying to make sure this is something that really connects with people. I always try to reach for the heart. To me, that’s so incredibly important because you can give all the facts in the world – but if you don’t show that human element, that human side, and connect with someone, reach in, and make them feel what you felt… that’s my goal after I interview someone. Whatever I felt when I was talking to these people, how can I portray that and put it down on paper and relay that story in a way that the viewer can feel what I felt when I met these people?”
Whether it’s moderating high-profile political debates like the 2018 debate between Beto O’Rourke and Senator Ted Cruz, traveling to Haiti to report on the devasting earthquake, or sharing stories of San Antonians working to help others – or those who need help themselves – she puts her heart into her work. “My favorite stories are ones that inspire viewers to join together to help someone. When someone gets help after a story airs, it’s incredibly rewarding to see those people happy again.”
After 13 years anchoring the KENS-5 morning newscast, Forgany was named co-anchor of the 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts last fall. “The switch allows me to take better care of my health and family,” she explains. “My health is now the most important because I need to be here for my 3-year-old daughter and my family. If you don’t have health, you have nothing. I learned that lesson sitting in a hospital bed for a month straight.”
That hospital stay came on after she suffered heart failure, diagnosed as broken heart syndrome, following a minor surgical procedure. She was placed on a ventilator, and doctors weren’t sure she’d survive. “It was shocking and transformative. I have no history of heart disease, and to this day, doctors say they can’t find a problem with my heart.”
She wants others to realize it can happen to anyone and is working with the American Heart Association to help raise awareness. “If I could just guide one person and have them switch their mindset to look at their lifestyle and truly look at, are they at peace? Are they happy? Are they healthy? What do they need to do to change? Your mental health, your physical health, all of it. And the younger girls, especially, because I’m not old, and I’ve never had heart problems. I never thought I would have a sudden heart problem from stress. When the doctor said stress, I was confused. What do you mean? But I’m not that stressed.
“I was doing so much, my personal life, my work life, my hours, extracurriculars, things that I enjoyed and loved, and I put on myself but didn’t realize that that plus dealing with some other small health issues, combined, it all adds up. It can happen so quickly.
“It has changed how I look at the world every day. As I’m doing things, the thought will cross my mind that today might be my last day. It makes me appreciate everything that is around me. I can’t believe that I’m here. I can’t believe that I’m holding my daughter. I can’t believe that I’m with my family. My perception of the things around me has changed because I never know when that might happen again. And not just that, but anything. None of us know what might happen.”
Forgany loves spending time with her family and prefers quiet time together. “We’re not high maintenance at all. Home and Netflix! To me, that’s the best weekend ever.”
But don’t think she’s always a homebody. A passionate traveler, she’s been to more than 40 countries and plans 2-3 extensive trips a year. She lived in Cairo until she was 10, and she’s also fluent in Arabic.
Her health scare reaffirmed her strong love of her family and her faith. “Put God first, family second, and find your purpose. I often ask myself that question. Why am I here on this earth? What talents has God given me? What blessings do I have, and how can I utilize these gifts to help someone? We are all connected in one way: that community is truly better when people join together. And what goes around comes around.
“Today, you help. Tomorrow, you will need help, and someone will be there to lend you a hand when you do.”
