Lindsey, once a successful model, served in the U.S. Army from 1984-92 and when he was discharged, the medical staff said his kidneys were “bad.”
A father, a veteran, a psychology student, and a proud American. Lindsey wrote only one thing defines him at the moment: “I am dying a little bit each day.”
He said a kidney transplant would give him “a new lease on life” and extend his life expectancy.
“It would also allow me to dance with my daughter at her wedding some day,” he said.
The Veterans Administration will cover the cost of his anti-rejection medication, he said. He recently started a GoFundMe account in hopes of raising some of the $260,000, the cost of a kidney transplant. In the first month, less than $1,000 has been pledged.
But there’s positive news. Lindsey has been contacted by Latoiua Foster, a single mother and his former co-worker at the Middletown Area YMCA. She read about Lindsey’s medical needs and wanted to be tested as a possible donor, he said. They both have Type O blood, he said.
“There is nothing you can call her except ‘Super Woman,’” he said. “It was kind of surprising when she came forward. I haven’t seen her in quite awhile. I know her, but I don’t really know her. I was taken back, really. She is offering me a gift of life, a chance for a longer life.”
Foster was unavailable for comment.
Lindsey is also receiving help from Boston Russell, 13, an eighth-grader at Miamisburg Middle School. Boston trains at Xtreme Fitness and Performance in Middletown with Lindsey’s daughter, Wanda, 12. The boy placed a large water jug on the counter of the center, in hopes members make donations in Lindsey’s honor.
“This way people can do something nice and save a life,” Boston said.
His father, Neil Russell, said his son enjoys helping others, so he wasn’t surprised by the latest gesture.
“That’s how he is,” Russell said. “He helps everybody.”
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