Life is short play hard 👍🏻

It's More Than a Game to Steve

It's More Than a Game to Steve

THAD WILLIAMSON
10/09/2003
Thousands of Carolina fans were left disheartened by the most recent showing on the gridiron, but at least one fan left Kenan Stadium Saturday with greater resolve and belief than ever that John Bunting is the man for the job and will get things turned around. That fan's name is Steve Sullivan.

It hasn't been the best of falls so far for John Bunting, as any visitor to this website is acutely aware. Five straight losses is enough to test the patience and faith of even the most passionate and dedicated coach. In fact, last Saturday at Kenan Stadium sounded to the out-of-town Tar Heel about as miserable as it gets, starting first and foremost with the tragic and senseless death of Stephen Gates, the talented reporter for the Tar Heel Sports Network.
On the field, Carolina again wasted a decent early effort and ended up getting waxed for yet another home loss. All in all, not a good day for Carolina football or the larger Tar Heel family.
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But, believe it or not, that's not quite the whole story. Thousands of Carolina fans were left disheartened by the most recent showing on the gridiron, but at least one fan left Kenan Stadium Saturday with greater resolve and belief than ever that John Bunting is the man for the job and will get things turned around.
That fan's name is Steve Sullivan, a 39-year old salesman and insurance claim processor in Columbia, SC, who doubles as just about the most inspirational Tar Heel you could ever hope to meet. Steve, who was profiled on uncbasketball.com in February 2001, has been battling kidney disease his entire adult life, starting with a terminal prognosis issued over a dozen years ago. Steve has outlived the doctors' projected life span by about a decade, fueled by a deep personal determination, and in no small measure, by a pure love for everything having to do with the University of North Carolina. Steve has lived to see dreams come true, from starting a family to becoming almost a regular attendee at UNC sporting events.

Steve at Kenan Stadium
Steve Sullivan has seen plenty of tough times, but 2003 might be the toughest. Earlier this year, he began experiencing signs of rejection from his second kidney transplant, and medical prognoses of Steve's condition have gotten steadily gloomier. Repeated hospitalizations eventually caused Steve to lose his job late this spring, despite an excellent work record, creating serious financial strain to go along with serious health problems. Steve's physical pain has been augmented by the pain of no longer being able to provide for his family and two daughters in an adequate way. It's been a tough year for Steve and those who care about him.
But there have been bright spots–including several morale-raising late-season trips to the Smith Center last winter. If you ever wondered to yourself how on earth Carolina pulled out that game against Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill last February, wonder no more: Steve Sullivan, the most diehard of diehard fans, was in the building for the first time in over two years, on a ticket obtained through the good graces of Adam Lucas of TarHeelBlue. It might well be the case that Steve and Raymond Felton were the only two people in the arena who hadn't given up with a minute to go in that one!
A week later, Steve found a ticket to the Duke season finale on his own steam, and we know what happened there. Steve even showed up in Greensboro and got to witness Carolina's shocking win over Maryland when a fan of a rival school took pity on Steve standing in the Greensboro rain and offered him a ticket at a reasonable price.
Even more significantly, however, Steve has been sustained by loyal friends–friends like Robert Alley, a Columbia businessman who has established the Steve Sullivan Foundation with the aim of raising money to assist with Steve's living and medical costs as well as to provide assistance over the long term for Steve's two daughters. The Foundation is up and running with a website (visit www.stevesullivan.org), and plans are in the work for a celebrity pro-am golf tournament next spring to raise money for the Foundation.
Another loyal friend who has made a big impact on Steve in recent months is John Bunting. Bunting was told of Sullivan's story back in 2001 and invited Steve to come attend a game in Kenan as his guest. Since then, the Carolina head coach has taken a personal interest in Steve above and beyond simple grace and courtesy, becoming one of Steve's biggest fans.
When Bunting learned of Steve's recent health setbacks this spring, he immediately sent Sullivan an autographed football. In late July, Bunting called Steve to check in on him, then asked him whether he might be able to make it up the next day to participate in the annual football staff golf outing at Finley Golf Course. Steve leapt at the opportunity–and in fact hardly slept a wink that night before rising at 6:30 a.m. to make the trek to Chapel Hill.
Steve spent the day mingling with the football staff and other Athletic Department officials, but also battling it out on the links as part of Bunting's Captain's Choice foursome. Steve, a former long driving champion in South Carolina, supplied much of the heavy lumber off the tee that day, but it was the 18th green that provided the most memorable moment. Bunting's group needed to sink a 30-foot birdie putt to force a playoff, and after three misses Steve crouched over the ball as the last hope.
A moment later, Bunting was jumping up and down as if the Heels had just come up with a stop on 4th and goal–sleepless Steve Sullivan, physically exhausted from walking around the course, had sunk the putt.
Since the start of practice and the season, Bunting's time has naturally been much scarcer, but the head coach brought Steve in as a guest to the FSU season opener and still makes a point to send Steve an email every few weeks. After yet another health setback last week, Steve and Robert Alley decided that a trip to Kenan Stadium for the Virginia tilt would at least take the mind off the fears and problems at home.
Apprised of the visit, Bunting left Steve a pass to the field house, then turned and broke away from a group of visitors to greet Sullivan and Alley upon their arrival. Bunting then told the other visitors all about Steve's story, adding that he didn't know what courage really was until he had met Steve and seen his fighting spirit in person.
You see, Bunting doesn't simply see Steve as object of his compassion, though he has been exceptionally kind to Steve. Coach Bunting likes having Steve around because it inspires him and helps him keep going, too.
Unfortunately, that moment of pre-game inspiration wasn't enough for the Tar Heels, but it was more than enough to keep Steve Sullivan's tank fueled and provide a badly needed morale boost. Living with uncertainty and fear about the future has become old hat for Steve–but so too has enjoying every precious moment of life.
Steve doesn't know how much longer he is going to be able to hold off kidney disease, but he says he has three remaining wishes in life. The first, most significant one, is that his two very young daughters be taken care of and provided for, and that they grow up understanding what kind of person their father is and how much he loves them.
The second is to see North Carolina win another national championship in basketball. The third is to see the day when John Bunting gets the North Carolina football program turned around. "I'm not good at putting down what I believe in my heart, but I believe in him and thanks to him, I've lived a dream come true," says Sullivan. "We should count our blessings that we have a coach that cares about people and believes in Carolina."
Sideline critics and journalists always have lots to say about losing teams and what they should be doing better. But John Bunting has without doubt gotten one thing absolutely right: if you could somehow translate the determination and courage Steve Sullivan has brought to battling kidney disease and all that goes with it for 15 years to the heart of a football team, you'd have one heck of an outfit, a team with the ability to keep on keeping on even after your back's been pinned against the wall.

Steve's daughter, Alyssa
Hopefully Carolina's gridders can show something of that spirit this Saturday and earn a win their coach badly needs and their loyal fans badly deserve. No one will be happier than Steve Sullivan if the Tar Heels should finally win, because his lifelong love for the Tar Heels is now mixed with a deep concern that his friend John Bunting be successful, and no one will be sadder if the Heels should lose, for that same reason. What you won't see Steve do, in any case, is give up in despair–the Columbia resident could no more give up on the Tar Heels and his friend John Bunting that he could give up on his own life and dreams.
No one can predict just how long Carolina's time in the football wilderness will last, just as Steve Sullivan can't predict how long his health is going to hold out. But if Steve Sullivan's determination to keep on living and not give in gets him an extra month of life, an extra year, an extra five years, or even more than that, John Bunting will have had something very, very important to do with it.
And if a year or two down the road, newspapers are writing about a bowl-bound Tar Heel team and the remarkable resurgence of John Bunting's program, Steve Sullivan, whose example of courage is helping inspire and motivate a coach going through tough times this fall, will have had something significant to do with that, too.
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Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Steve Sullivan Foundation online via www.stevesullivan.org or by check to Steve Sullivan Foundation, 5202 Lakeshore Drive, Columbia, SC 29206. Donors of $20 or greater will receive a signed, personalized copy of Thad Williamson's book More Than a Game: Why North Carolina Basketball Means So Much To So Many.

Life is short play hard!

The steve sullivan story
THE STEVE SULLIVAN STORY, PART ONE

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED by UNCBASKETBALL.COM, FEBRUARY 2001
It obviously meant a great deal to Matt Doherty when Brendan Haywood's late basket lifted North Carolina to a riveting 70-69 win over Wake Forest on January 6th. Doherty's post game tears of joy and participation in the mid court celebration instantly became one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Smith Center.
But as much as that game meant to Doherty, it probably meant even more to Steven Sullivan of Columbia, South Carolina. Sullivan and his wife Wanda were in the stands that Saturday night-attending Sullivan's first game in Chapel Hill since he suffered a massive kidney failure in the early 1980's, failure which left him unable to walk until he received a life saving transplant.
Sullivan had been a 275 pound high school noseguard who dreamed of walking on to play football at his favorite school, North Carolina ( as a walk on ), until he suffered a career ending knee injury in the summer before his senior year. Sullivan was also a standout high school golfer. "He won so many tournaments, I think he could have went for it in golf if this hadn't happened," recalls his mother Donnie Jackson of Columbia. After graduating from high school in 1983, Sullivan began experiencing heath problems and rapid weight loss. Sullivan had to visit several doctors before before finally being correctly diagnosed with kidney failure. Sullivan's weight shrunk to less than 100 pounds.
Sullivan remembers little of that period, but recalls that he looked into the mirror and "didn't even know it was me." After the diagnosis, Sullivan was placed on a regimen of dialysis three times a day. A series of complications weakened Sullivan's legs and he eventually lost the ability to walk. "I went through the wringer," Sullivan recalls. During this time, Sullivan was cared for by Jackson, who had to juggle caring for her son with a job of her own.
While on dialysis, Sullivan says the days meshed together to the point that it became impossible to distinguish one day from the other. But Sullivan never forgot he was a Carolina fan--big time. While in recovery, Sullivan wore a North Carolina outfit during his hospital stays, watched every Tar Heel game, surrounded himself and his wheelchair with Tar Heel paraphernalia , and boldly set the seemingly impossible goal for himself of one day returning to Chapel Hill to see the Heels play in person.
Sullivan says the values associated with North Carolina basketball resonated with him at a very early age when he watched Phi Ford and his Tar Heel teammates on TV. "I've always liked their style. I've always been a person never to give up."
And during his bout with kidney failure, Sullivan had concrete evidence that Carolina basketball was more than just about what happens on the court. After learning of Sullivan's condition, Dean Smith began sending Sullivan letters twice a year and kept it up for over a decade. Sullivan says the letters simply wished him well and encouraged him to stay positive. Sullivan kept the letters along with other UNC related books nearby during his frequent hospital stays. "I'd show the letters to my doctors and it kept my spirit up", recalls Sullivan. "Every time I was doing bad, I'd say I'm going, I'm going, I'm going to make it back to Chapel Hill."
Sullivan finally received a kidney transplant from his older brother Terry in 1989, along with the prognosis that he had at most five years to live. Sullivan continued to live with his mother in Columbia, and a month after the transplant began using a walker to learn how to walk. Amazingly, within six months Sullivan was not only walking but playing golf again and shot a 76 to qualify for the City Amateur in Columbia. That feat caught the attention of a local sportswriter and the story of Sullivan's remarkable comeback appeared in several newspapers and magazine articles. For years, Sullivan hold's a state amateur long driving record (336 yards).
Sullivan took advantage of his improved health by working as a salesman, becoming active in youth golf programs in Columbia, and working with a foundation to help kidney patients. Sullivan also began giving motivational speeches at schools and colleges and even traveled to Duke Hospital to visit a kidney patient from Columbia.. And Sullivan continued to follow Carolina avidly- he recalls running around with joy, oblivious to pain, when Carolina rallied from 21 points down to beat Florida State in 1993. Still the former noseguard had not had the chance to return to Blue Heaven and attend a game in Chapel Hill (Sullivan had gone to several games in Chapel Hill with his father prior to the kidney failure).
In July 1999, ten years after Sullivan was given 5 years to live, he received a second kidney transplant, this time from his wife. (Steven married Wanda who worked as a nurse at the hospital where he was being treated in 1997.) While in recovery from complications from this second transplant operation, Sullivan frequently watched Tar Heel games in the hospital holding his newborn daughter whose first spoken words were reportedly, " Go Tar Heels."
Sullivan's long term prognosis remains uncertain and he remains under medical supervision, receiving check ups weekly. But a few weeks ago, Sullivan finally saw the dream of a return to Chapel Hill realized. Wanda e-mailed Tar Heel color commentator Mick Mixon about her husband and asked about the possibility of getting tickets to a game. Wanda was surprised to hear back that tickets could indeed be arranged, and shortly before Christmas, Wanda told Steven that they had tickets for the Wake Forest game on January 6th. My first reaction was, I couldn't "believe it," recalls Sullivan, but he soon began spreading the news to friends and relatives-and above all his mother.
Dannie Jackson recalls, "Oh, Lord, he called me 3 or 4 times to say, Did I tell you I have North Carolina tickets? He called me when he first got up there to remind me he was there. He had already told all of us if he had to go in a wheelchair, he would go. I was so happy. He made my day the first day he told me about it. It was fantastic. It was his dream." Jackson baby sat her 2 year old granddaughter Alyssa Sullivan while Steven  traveled north for the Wake Forest weekend. "He's got that child running around yelling 'go Tar Heels.' She'll be a fan, trust me," notes Jackson.
They  traveled to Chapel Hill on Friday the 5th, arriving at night. The next day they visited Franklin St. . Steven bought " every souvenir I could find," including pacifiers and baby bottles for Alyssa and the Sullivan's second child (to be named Sarah), due this spring.
The Sullivan's then arrived at the Smith Center two and a half hours before tip-off and took in the sights. And Steven recalls, "people didn't understand why I worked so hard to make it back here until we walked into the Dean Dome and she looked into my eyes."
When Brendan Haywood scored to give Carolina the victory, , "We were both jumping up and down. He probably enjoyed it a little more than I did. It was a great win ." After the game," Steven says, "I was taking napkins, popcorn cups, anything. I even tried to run on the court but they wouldn't let me."
Sullivan adds that the whole weekend went by in a blur, and that the only moment when it began sinking in that he had actually returned to Chapel Hill, to the school he once hoped to play for, was Sunday morning when he paid a visit to Kenan Stadium and peered through the locked gates. Sullivan hopes to return this fall with his daughter to attend a UNC football game.
Matt Doherty realized a dream the night of January 6th by coaching the Tar Heels to a big win over a top ten team on a last second shot. And Steven realized a dream by watching it happen - a dream which he credits with helping prolong his life. "There are two kinds of fans," Sullivan says. "The kind that roots for somebody because they win and the kind that roots for somebody because they believe in them... I heard some people a while ago talking about who should be the football recruiting coordinator. Well, I'd make a good one because I could sell North Carolina to anyone. I'm living proof."
It's not reasonable to expect North Carolina's players to to have a full sense of how much the jerseys they wear mean to so many people near and far when they hit the floor in Durham Thursday night for the biggest regular season game they have ever played in. That kind of perspective can only come with time and distance.
But for the rest of us, it shouldn't be too much to think about Steve Sullivan watching the game in Columbia on Thursday night with his daughter to whom he hopes to pass on Carolina fever at as young an age as possible "in case something happens to me." And it shouldn't be too much to heed Sullivan's reminder that the real measure of a great athlete or a coach like Dean Smith is not "just what they do in sports, but what they do to help individuals." Carolina basketball helped Steven Sullivan in a tangible way, both through the letters from Smith, and by communicating the larger message of never giving up, no matter the circumstances. Sullivan in turn recovered to beat his doctor's prognosis, start a family of his own and help others in need in the process. Sullivan speaks straight from the heart when he says his connection with Carolina "gave me hope. I probably wouldn't have met my wife or had the chance to have a child without it."
Sullivan's story challenges the old cliché that "it's only a game." It is only a game but the spirit and ethos displayed in all those games for all those years by players wearing Carolina blue has the power to spill out into 'real life' in surprising and powerful ways. Not even a win over Duke Thursday night would provide a better story for Carolina fans than the one Steven Sullivan could tell you.
Thad Williamson
Part Two

Part Three

Steve Sullivan Foundation Home

Life is short play HARD!