Manute Bol Fighting for his Life

Former NBA star Manute Bol is currently fighting for his life.

Former NBA star Manute Bol achieved greatness where it truly mattered - off the court. (AP Photo)

Bol, a 7 foot 6 inch force of nature in basketball in the late 80s and early 90s, is in the hospital following complete kidney failure and a bout with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a condition where the epidermis (top layer of the skin) separates from the dermis. I figured I would explain what it is to save you the trouble of looking it up and seeing photographic depictions of the disease, because it’s every bit as awful as it sounds.

Considering his work, life and good deeds, it hardly seems fair. I’m still working out where my beliefs lie in regard to God and his nature, but I can state with conviction that I can’t subscribe to an idea of a deity that controls every aspect of life on Earth. Because no being would, or could, have the capacity to be that cruel to one of the most admirable human beings on the planet.

Bol played for the NBA from 1985 until 1994 (he had been drafted in 1983 but he was later ruled ineligible for the draft). You can find more information about his basketball career with a simple Google search. What you won’t get from those stats and numbers is the selfless spirit that resides within that tall, gawky frame.

He came from the Sudan, a country riddled by violence and Civil War. Bol used his fame in the NBA to draw attention to the plight of his people and his home country, and became known as an icon for global awareness of the country and its travails. However, he didn’t just stop there. Bol gave his time, resources, and the vast majority of his fortune to the country and its people. Long after his star had faded and the eyes of the public Stateside were away from him, Bol was giving his all despite attempts (sometimes successful) by the Sudanese government to drive him out. He spent time in refugee camps and, at the time he fell ill, was on an extended stay in Sudan after helping to build a school through one of the many charitable organizations he assisted. He was subsequently asked to stay and help oversee the elections, which are often wrought with fraud.

During this time, his wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl that due to his philanthropic efforts and illness he has yet to meet.

In this day and age, so much emphasis and credence is given to self-absorption and philanthropy as a means of self-promotion and an excuse to boast to friends and business partners about all your selfless acts and endeavors. Which is why it’s both refreshing and important to give attention to one who is so selfless with his own time and resources. It’s almost unbelievable that such a person can be real and can exist, but he is and he does.

Manute Bol should serve as an inspiration not just to fans, athletes, and those that cover the sport for a living, but to every single human being. Most of us, myself included, don’t extend our philanthropic efforts beyond the time spent writing out a check, filling out a brief online form, or sending a text message to the American Red Cross. All of us should strive to be the kind of man that Manut Bol has been to his home country, and to truly commit ourselves as he has to trying to make our community and the rest of the world a better place.

I would ask that we all keep him in our thoughts and prayers, but I have a feeling the man himself would ask those prayers instead go to his family, both immediate and his brothers and sisters who continue to suffer in Sudan. Here’s hoping he recovers and, if he doesn’t, that his life will serve as a reminder to the potential greatness in humanity.

For more information on the organization Manute Bol was working with at the time he was stricken, as well as how to donate, please visit The Sudan Sunrise website.

June 19th Update: After a valiant struggle, Manute Bol passed away at the University of Virginia Medical Center.