Detroit Metro Airport TSA employee saves two lives, donates organ

(CBS DETROIT) - A Detroit Metro Airport TSA employee is sharing her story of selflessly giving to help save a life.

Lindsay Umphrey, Transportation Security Inspector at DTW, says being an organ donor wasn't necessarily on her radar, but when she learned her cousin needed a kidney, she decided to step in, saving not only his life but someone else's too.

Umphrey spends most of her time at the airport inspecting cargo. Her life drastically changed after her cousin's battle with kidney disease led to a life-saving donor swap between two families. Although she wasn't a direct match to her cousin, Umphrey learned about the University of Michigan's kidney-paired donation program, which connects two or more pairs of living donors to swap and make a compatible match.

Umphrey says she knew this was her cousin's best chance at quickly receiving a kidney and was willing to be entered into a database of donors. Soon, a match was found for Umphrey's organ, and another donor was lined up for her cousin. Last fall, all four surgeries were successfully executed.

"This had never come into my life up until this point, and once it hit my doorstep, it affected my family," she said. "I really had to think about it, and I think getting the education that U of M offers really allowed me to make an educated decision and be completely confident in my decision to donate."