U.S. Air Force veteran Lindsay Gutierrez went above and beyond the “service after service” mentality when she volunteered to donate life-saving organs not just once, but twice. In a rare and heroic act, she donated one of her kidneys to save the life of a fellow veteran. Then, she did something very few people have ever done, let alone knew was possible: she donated 40% of her liver, saving yet another human life.
Only 280 people in the United States are living double organ donors, and Lindsay Gutierrez is one of them.
“I’m now one of only about 280 people in the United States — just 0.000084% of the population — who have become dual living organ donors,” Gutierrez told We Are The Mighty. “It’s a statistic that reflects not just rarity, but the incredible potential each of us has to give life.”
Gutierrez was inspired to join the Air Force because of her grandfather, who was also an Air Force veteran. She served in Security Forces, stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. During her time in service, she deployed to Qatar and Djibouti.
“I also went on numerous TDYs, gaining invaluable experience and perspective. The people I served with, the cultures I encountered, and the responsibilities I held shaped me into a more resilient, capable, and purpose-driven person,” she told Gina Elise of Pin-Ups for Vets after becoming an ambassador and calendar model for the non-profit organization that helps deployed and hospitalized service members and their families.
In 2014, during one of her deployments, Gutierrez was involved in a vehicle accident that left her with an undiagnosed traumatic brain injury (TBI). She served another two years, was honorably discharged, and then endured something many service members experience after active duty — a bewildering chapter of life trying to transition to civilian life and receive medical care for service-connected injuries.
It took years for Gutierrez to finally receive a diagnosis for her TBI.
“That moment became a turning point. It opened my eyes to how many veterans are quietly suffering with undiagnosed or untreated mental health and neurological conditions,” she said.
But the experience helped her find what she calls her “why.” She wanted to become an advocate for others experiencing the same struggles. She used her education benefits to pursue a doctorate in social work and completed two master’s degrees, aiming to leverage her education and lived experiences to advocate for improved care, awareness, and support for veterans.
All of that is noble and remarkable — and then she became a dual organ donor.
“My journey began, unexpectedly, when a friend told me about someone they knew who was in need of an organ transplant,” she shared. “That conversation planted a seed in my heart. Months later, I saw an ad in the Military Times for Donor Outreach for Veterans (DOVE), a nonprofit that connects veterans in need of a kidney with living donors and I knew I had to act.”
On May 25, 2022, she donated her left kidney altruistically to a fellow veteran, and on April 30, 2024, she donated 40% of her liver to an anonymous recipient.
“What many people don’t realize is that living organ donation is not only lifesaving, it’s also safe for donors,” she explained. “The remaining kidney typically grows about 20–40% larger in size over the course of a few months after donation. It adapts to handle up to 75–80% of the total kidney function that two kidneys would normally provide, which is more than enough for a healthy life.”
“Regarding the liver, it is the only organ in the human body that fully regenerates, typically returning to nearly full size within 6 to 8 weeks after injury,” she continued. “Regenerated liver tissue is fully functional and identical to the original tissue. Living organ donation is truly a remarkable medical feat that has expanded access to life-saving transplants for patients who might otherwise wait years.”
Gutierrez is now an advocate for the End Kidney Deaths Act, which would give a $10,000 tax credit to kidney donors.
“As a group, veterans have higher rates of chronic kidney disease (CKD) than the general U.S. population, according to the American Kidney Fund. “While kidney disease affects 1 in 7 Americans, it affects about 1 in 6 veterans, including more than 40,000 VA-enrolled veterans with kidney failure (end-stage renal disease) who rely on dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.”
Anyone interested in kidney donation can begin by contacting the non-profit organization Gutierrez used for her own donation: DOVE Transplant.
You can see Gutierrez along with other amazing female veterans in the 2025 Pin-Ups for Vets fundraising calendar, and support deployed and hospitalized service members and their families.
