Wake Forest Baseball Coach Donates Kidney to Player

Relatives weren't a match, so coach steps in
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2011 5:00 PM CST
Wake Forest Baseball Coach Donates Kidney to Player
Wake Forest outfielder Kevin Jordan, right, speaks as his coach Tom Walter looks on during a news conference at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta Wednesday.   (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Here's the perfect antidote to reading about celebs on the ropes: The baseball coach at Wake Forest has donated a kidney to a player on his team, reports AP. Tom Walter, 42, did so when 19-year-old Keith Jordan developed a rare autoimmune disorder and nobody in his family proved to be a donor match. Jordan's dad calls it "divine intervention." They had the surgery in Atlanta on Monday, and both are expected to make a full recovery.

"All along, it's been about trying to do the right thing," said Walter, according to Reuters. "This whole process has never been about getting Kevin back on the field. This has always been about Kevin having a chance at a normal life." Jordan is a Yankees prospect. "I'm just really thankful," he said. "It's a little sore but I can't complain about any of this. As soon as my body agrees with me and I'm allowed to start playing, I'll start playing." (More Wake Forest University stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X