Sports

Matthew Jordan is a 'superhero' to diabetic children

Georgia Tech quarterback Matthew Jordan walks off the Lane Stadium field with team chaplain Derrick Moore after leading the Yellow Jackets to an upset win over the Hokies last November in Blacksburg, Va. (GETTY IMAGES)
Georgia Tech quarterback Matthew Jordan walks off the Lane Stadium field with team chaplain Derrick Moore after leading the Yellow Jackets to an upset win over the Hokies last November in Blacksburg, Va. (GETTY IMAGES)
July 10, 2017

On a warm July evening in a sunlit gymnasium on a woodsy campground, Matthew Jordan gave encouragement, signed dozens of autographs and shook his booty. All three acts delighted Camp Kudzu, which serves children and teens with whom Jordan shares a disease that has no known cure.

The Georgia Tech quarterback was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes almost 10 years ago, and he credits the discipline required to manage the disease for his successes. They include his business-administration degree, earned in 3 ½ years, and his likely status as the Yellow Jackets’ next starting quarterback.

That pride wove through a message he gave last Wednesday at the camp, held at Camp Twin Lakes, a nonprofit that provides camping experiences to children with serious illnesses, disabilities and other life challenges.

“One more thing I’d like to say,” Jordan told the assembly of roughly 150, including campers, counselors and medical staff. “I’ve heard this from a couple people: They’re kind of scared to say they’re diabetic, they’re kind of embarrassed of it, things like that. I’m not one of those kinds of people. If anything, I’m proud of it.”

About the Author

Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.

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