STATUS:
Received! April 2024
Nelson Onofre enlisted in the Army at the age of 34. After basic training in Ft. Leonard Missouri, he went to Ft. Lowry in Colorado where he was trained for his MOS in Electronics. He had an interest in photography as a civilian and was transitioned to work as an Army photographer. He was assigned to photograph the closing of the famous Checkpoint Charlie. Nelson was honorably discharged in 1992 as a proud member of the Berlin Brigade.
Upon discharge, Nelson re -enlisted in the Reserves for a few years and held a variety of jobs - as a Postal Police Officer, an IT contractor for Amtrak, and now he is back to photography and works as an in-house photographer for a club. Photography and music are two passions (he had been a drummer in the 70s and 80's).
Unbeknownst to many, Nelson has kidney failure and has relied on a dialysis machine for the past 6 years in order to survive. It is getting harder for him to keep up and he tries to remain positive but occasionally admits his energy is low and he often feels unwell. Nelson's best chance to live a long life, free from dialysis is to find a living kidney donor. He may not survive the years-long wait for a deceased donor.
Nelson received his "gift of life" from a deceased donor at Bronx VA on April 7, 2024.
Nelson Onofre
Army Veteran
