Photo By Burrell Parmer | FORT WORTH, Texas – (June 29, 2017) Nina Hart of Earth, Texas, and her cousin,...... read more read more
Subscribe
SAN ANGELO, Texas – (July 26, 2017) When Earth, Texas native Nina Hart, wife of Mineman 1st Class Jesse Hart assigned to Navy Recruiting Station San Angelo, Navy Recruiting District San Antonio, discovered that her cousin, Dustin Lewis of Hereford, Texas, was in renal failure, she asked without hesitation, “do you want my kidney?”
As new parents of a daughter, Emma, Nina and Jesse discussed the impact of donating a kidney would have on their new and growing family.
Upon meeting with doctors, Nina quickly recognized, “My whole lifestyle would change, from what I ate, drank…everything will change, but it is so worth it.”
As Nina and Dustin, a native of Madison, Ohio, set out on this bonding, lifelong journey, family and friends quickly discovered just how many obstacles must be overcome.
Finding a genetic match between donor and recipient is an immeasurably important and commonly unachieved task. Fortunately, the cousins were a perfect match; however, there remained a myriad of challenges they still faced, including: donor and recipient health statuses, securing an available and highly-skilled surgical team, and most importantly, whether or not the recipient’s body would fully accept the donation.
Gratefully, with the help of the team at Baylor Scott & White – All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, including Kristi Camp, kidney coordinator and liaison for the Hart family, Dustin’s devoted and selfless partner, prepared for the four-hour procedure, solely focused on the mission of saving his life.
Nina later reflected upon the support of her family and her unyielding faith.
“None of this would have been possible without my Lord and Savior,” said Nina. “He is the one who used me to save Dustin's life, and I will forever be honored and grateful to him for creating me for this journey!”
Dustin is scheduled to return home on July 27, emboldened with a new outlook and a daily reminder of just how deeply he is truly loved.
Moving forward, Nina has several ambitious objectives on the horizon.
She has recently been appointed to serve as the divisional ombudsman for Jesse’s unit, supporting both new and familiar family members as they report and settle in to life as members of the West Texas Navy Recruiting Team.
Additionally, Nina expressed her heartfelt commitment to inspiring others to consider organ donation.
“I want the story to get out there so people will step up and become a living donor,” she enthusiastically said. “It's the greatest gift anyone could ever give!”
In an effort to make these hopes a reality, Nina is further pursuing how to start her own fundraising organization with a mindful recognition of what it could mean for her young daughter.
“What I hope Emma learns from this is that she fully knows what it means to be selfless and that she shows it every day of her life,” aptly finishing with, “so when someone asks her where she learned it, she can say my daddy, because he serves our country, and my mom because she willingly became a living donor so Dustin could live.”
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.27.2017 02:06 |
| Story ID: | 242732 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TX, US |
| Hometown: | EARTH, TX, US |
| Hometown: | HEREFORD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 323 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Reminding Us All Of What It Means To Truly Serve, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT