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Wake Forest Head Baseball Coach Donates Kidney to Player

WHAT: News Conference - Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter, player Kevin Jordan and Emory transplant surgeons will be available to speak with media in person and via telephone regarding the gift of life, Kevin's illness, and the surgery.

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011, 11:30 a.m. ET

WHERE: The Emory Clinic B, 1365 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322

http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/emory-university-hospital-atlanta/directions.html

CALL-IN: 888-947-9021 (participant pass code: 8463640)

PARKING: Media parking available with advance attendance confirmation. Please call Lance Skelly (404-775-5050) to confirm attendance.

BACKGROUND: Transplant surgeons at Emory University Hospital have successfully completed a living donor kidney transplant from the head baseball coach at Wake Forest University (WFU) to one of his players.

Freshman Kevin Jordan was recruited by head coach Tom Walter to attend WFU following his graduation from Northside-Columbus High School in Columbus, Ga., in Spring 2010. Jordan began to feel ill in Jan. 2010 and was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis. ANCA vasculitis is a type of autoimmune swelling caused by auto-antibodies. While normal antibodies are produced by the immune system to fight germs, auto-antibodies attack one's own cells and tissues, often leading to kidney failure.

Jordan was limited in his ability to take part in fall practice as the disease worsened and he underwent daily dialysis. He did not return to WFU for the spring semester 2011. Doctors tested members of Jordan's family and did not find an ideal match. Coach Walter volunteered to undergo testing and was found to be a good match. After considerable soul-searching, Walter decided to donate his kidney to Jordan, and the surgeries were performed on Monday, Feb. 7 at Emory.

Surgeons say although kidney transplant patients require specialized medications to maintain the function of their kidney, medications can be tailored to allow patients to return to normal activities, including high-level athletic performance. As such, it is anticipated that Jordan will be able to return to competition for the 2012 season. Emory transplant surgeons are actively involved in the development of new transplant medications and in the adjustment of existing medications to minimize their side effects.

The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center (http://www.whsc.emory.edu/home/about) of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focusing on teaching, research, health care and public service.

EMORY Health Sciences News

http://emoryhealthsciences.org

SOURCE Emory University Health Sciences Center