ELICOTT CITY, Md. — Service and sacrifice don’t always stop when the uniform comes off. For Howard County veteran Lindsay Gutierrez, service meant something even greater—giving part of herself to save others.
WATCH: Air Force Veteran becomes dual organ donor to save fellow veterans
Gutierrez served six years in the U.S. Air Force, deploying to Qatar and Djibouti, and says her mission to help others didn’t end after leaving the military. It was her deployment to Djibouti that encouraged her to pursue a career in social work.
“I knew that there was something else out there, but I didn't know what it was called, and through additional research, I started finding out that social work is a great area to go into because I'm helping people, I'm assisting communities, I'm helping change lives, and making things better for people,” said Guiterrez.
Her goal to help people continued when she discussed becoming an organ donor with a friend who had just received an organ transplant. It wasn’t until she opened a Veteran magazine andstumbled upon a nonprofit called Donor Outreach for Veterans (DOVE) she realized it was time for her to act.
“How incredible that I was just talking with somebody about this a couple of months ago, and now this is right here staring me in the face,” said Gutierrez.
She added, “You know, I, I can't ignore this. I'm not a coincidence kind of person. This was meant to be. I do feel like I was being led into this position.”
She not only decided to donate to help save a veteran, but she also became a dual organ donor, donating both a kidney and part of her liver.
Her first donation came in May 2022, when she gave her left kidney to an Army veteran.
“It was meaningful to me that I was gonna be donating to a veteran, so I chose Memorial Day weekend. I felt like that was gonna be very impactful,” she said.
The recipient, Reggie Robinson, had served 20 years in the Army. Today, he calls Gutierrez his “kidney buddy for life” and credits her with giving him precious time with his grandchildren.
“My oldest grandson, Tyler, is playing baseball in the fall and in the spring, so I was able to get out there with that and go to his games and help coach him; that was a big blessing,” Robinson said.
Reggie and Lindsay were the first to be part of a swap organ donation with DOVE. Reggie's wife originally volunteered to donate her kidney but was not a match. However, she was a match for another veteran. Lindsay, who is O positive, was able to step in and donate her kidney to Reggie, allowing two veterans to be saved by two donors.
Just ten months after the kidney surgery, Gutierrez donated 40 percent of her liver to another patient who remained anonymous, continuing her mission of service.
“I hope that my story inspires somebody to do something impactful for their community. It doesn’t have to be donating an organ, but if that’s what inspires you, that’s amazing—because you’re saving somebody’s life,” Gutierrez said.
Beyond organ donation, Gutierrez also finds purpose in Pin-Ups for Vets, a nonprofit that honors women veterans through classic pin-up-style photography while supporting hospitalized veterans and active-duty service members. She first learned about the organization after being crowned Ms. Veteran America in 2017 and was drawn to its mission of empowerment and connection.
“Pin-Ups for Vets celebrates our service while honoring a legacy that’s been a symbol of strength, resilience, and beauty for decades,” she said. “It bridges the past and present—giving today’s women veterans a platform to feel proud, confident, and connected.”
At home, Gutierrez surrounds herself with life—plants, pets, and memories of the lives she’s helped save.
“I am a veteran, social worker, dual organ donor, pig mom, dog mom, plant mom—all sorts of things. All the moms. I love it,” she said.