Kate Linder Shares How She Made Sick Young and the Restless Fan ‘Feel Good’ Before Tragic Death

Kate Linder stars as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless, a role she has played since 1982

Kate Linder is recalling a standout moment she once shared with a Young and the Restless fan.

While chatting with PEOPLE at the Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmys at the Pasadena Convention Center in California, on Saturday, Linder, 74, opened up about the encounter with a sick fan that touched her immensely.

Noting that she received a letter from a woman whose sister was a “big fan” of hers, Linder revealed how she went a step further than fulfilling the request to send a photograph of herself as a birthday present to the ill woman.

“I thought [the photo’s] never going to get there in time, so I called information, they had information then, and found her, and called her and said, ‘Hi, this is Esther,’ because I didn’t think she would know who Kate Linder was,” the actress explained, referencing her iconic Young and the Restless character’s name. “But we talked and talked.”

Linder said that the woman soon passed away but she remained in contact with the family “for years.”

“I thought, if I could make someone feel good, for even one little teeny bit, how can I not do that?” the TV icon added.

Linder currently stars as Esther Valentine on The Young and the Restless, a role she has played since 1982.

Continuing to speak with PEOPLE, Linder said she has no plans to leave the show in the near future, stating, “I don’t believe in retirement. They’ll just have to drag me. I’m not [leaving] anytime soon.”

Linder also couldn’t help but marvel over her role on the hit daytime series, given how she said she was originally “only hired for one day.”

“That’s all I was supposed to be there,” she said. “And this is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I didn’t want to be anything that little girls want to be. I always said to my parents, ‘I want to be an actress,’ and they’d go, ‘No, no.’ I mean, sure, they were hoping I’d grow out of it. They didn’t know. You’re talking a lot of years ago.”

“They didn’t have a clue, though they were very supportive,” Linder added. “They gave me the dance lessons and all that, but they didn’t know. And I had no one in my family who was in the business.”

Linder also explained that she is “so honored and proud to be part” of the acting community, noting, “I just put one in front of the other. I still go to acting class. It’s show business. It’s a business and you have to treat it as such.”

Linder knows that she is “fortunate” for many reasons, but especially “because the show has given me the opportunity to give back.”

“I’m a celebrity spokesperson for the ALS Association and Ambassador for Conductive Ed program, [and] for March of Dimes Canada,” she explained to PEOPLE. “I’ve been able to raise several million dollars and give back.”

“I’m honored, very honored to be part of that,” Linder added, also noting how achievements such as earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and having props in the Hollywood Museum are also exciting feats she has accomplished over her illustrious career.

Linder has also maintained a second career as a flight attendant for United Airlines throughout most of her 40-year run on The Young and the Restless.