“I would do anything to help any one of my players and any one of my family members. Anything I could do in my power to give them a better quality of life, is something I want to do.” These are the words of Wake Forest head baseball coach Tom Walter. Many people have made this type of statement, but how many really mean it? Walter not only means it. He lives it. Kevin Jordan was a highly-touted baseball player coming out of high school and had committed to Wake Forest. Doctors diagnosed Jordan with Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Autoantibody (ANCA) vasculitis. This essentially means that Jordan’s immune system had attacked his body; particularly his kidneys. Even with his kidneys operating at 15 to 20 percent of capacity, Jordan continued playing baseball through his senior year of high school. The New York Yankees even saw fit to draft Jordan in the 19th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. Jordan had every intention of beginning his freshman year at Wake Forest. Before the start of the fall semester, Walter accompanied the Jordan family to a doctor’s appointment. That is when the Demon Deacons coach realized the gravity of the situation. “I had no idea what Kevin had been going through over the course of the summer and the spring,” Walter said. “It just gave me a whole new perspective on everything.” Jordan previously had three dialysis treatments per week. That soon increased to daily treatments. After a full day of classes, Jordan hooked himself up to the dialysis machine every night at 11 p.m. He stayed connected until 8 a.m. the next day. With Jordan’s kidney function deteriorating, a transplant became the next logical treatment option. Jordan’s family was tested without a successful match. Walter informed the family that he would like to get tested. On the first day of spring practice, Walter got the call from doctors that he was a match. The two underwent successful surgery on Feb. 7 and both are expected to make a full recovery. Walter’s family, team, and Wake Forest officials were extremely supportive and lauded his selfless act. However, his character and humility only allow him to give credit to the young man whose life he saved. “Kevin even showing up on our campus I thought was a courageous act on his part, certainly far more courageous than anything I’m doing,” Walter said. “For him to be a freshman in college, not knowing anybody on campus, and having to be in a room on dialysis, I think just took incredible…the word I keep coming back to is courage.” Just as a baseball coach recognizes baseball talent, a courageous man recognizes courage in another. Good sportsmanship requires behavior that allows everyone to stay on the field and keep playing. Walter made sure Kevin Jordan will continue playing on the field of life.