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NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – Her uncle inspired her career. He was one of her closest relatives, and she just found out two of his vital organs were failing. Despite her personal hardships, she knew she couldn’t skip on the opportunity to save a life. She did the research, spoke with sources and called her uncle in hopes the stars would align.
“Hey, Uncle Eric, what’s your blood type?” she asked.
“B-positive,” he responded with curiosity in his voice.
To which she said, “So is mine, and I want to give you one of my kidneys.”
When Tech. Sgt. Mindy Tate, NCO in charge of readiness assigned to the 99th Force Support Squadron, found out that her uncle, retired Senior Master Sgt. Eric Laurhammer, was diagnosed with renal failure, her selflessness took over.
“We were the only two in the military in our whole family,” said Tate. “He was the biggest reason I joined, and over the years, we’ve just been really close. When he told me about his renal failure, I didn’t hesitate to help him any way I could.”
After Tate found statistics for the kidney transplant waitlist and learned the risks associated with the surgery, she called her uncle to let him know she was wanted to donate one of her kidneys.
“Completely unexpected, she called and said, ‘Hey I want to do this,’” said Laurhammer. “My immediate reaction was just shocked. Very grateful of course, but what can you even say when someone says, ‘I want to help save your life’?”
Due to some complications, getting to the actual surgery was a five-year process. In addition, 11 months before the scheduled surgery, Tate, who was then stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, lost everything when Hurricane Michael swept through in October 2018.
“I don’t know if I had gone through that if I’d even be thinking about giving somebody a kidney,” said Laurhammer. “But, she just told me, ‘These are separate things. I told you I’m going to do this, and I’m going to do it.’”
Tate remained determined from the moment she found out her uncle’s kidneys were failing, all the way to the operating room Sep. 9, 2019.
“He was lying in the bed next to me, and kept saying, ‘You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to do this,’ said Tate. “I told him, ‘I’m going through with it,’ and we went into surgery. I didn’t see him for three days, and when I finally did, it was so emotional knowing I was a part of him.”
While Tate did something remarkable, it was the help and reassurance of her fellow Airmen that ensured the process went smoothly.
“I couldn’t have done it without my leadership or my husband’s leadership,” said Tate. “I took time off to do all the testing beforehand; they just told me, ‘Go do what you need to do.’ My husband and I were both able to travel to Texas for the surgery, I was given time to rest and recover and my office held down the fort the whole time I was gone.”
It’s no wonder Tate greatly appreciates those who enabled her to save her uncle’s life, especially when she is genuinely grateful for simple interactions experienced on frequent bases.
“I go through drive-thrus, and every time I get my food I’m like, ‘Thank you so much for what you do. You are really wonderful. Let me talk to your boss,’” said Tate. “When I go through the gate, I take note of things like who has a smile on their face, so I send ICE (interactive customer evaluation) comment cards to their supervisors. A lot of people don’t take time out of their day to recognize the good that is happening, and I always try to do that.”
Tate’s kindness is not for personal gain or recognition, but rather for the self-fulfillment she receives from improving the lives of others.
“When it comes to my uncle, it’s so humbling to know I saved his life,” said Tate. “As for everything else, I’m just happy to be a part of some sort of good in the world. I plan to continue being the change that I have control over – even if it’s as simple as thanking somebody for what they do.”
Story was originally posted to the Nellis AFB DVIDS page Dec. 31, 2019, and may be found at https://www.dvidshub.net/news/357678/selfless-airman-embodies-generosity.
| Date Taken: | 12.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2019 19:30 |
| Story ID: | 357678 |
| Location: | NELLIS AFB, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Selfless Airman embodies generosity, by SSgt Dylan Murakami, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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