08/22/2025
Two friends, brought together by a shared love for tennis, eventually discovered that their greatest match would happen far from the court.
Skip was born with just one kidney, and that kidney had a life-threatening blockage. Against the odds, Skip grew up active and full of life. In the summer of 2024, everything changed when Skip faced stage 4 kidney failure. With hope and determination, Skip and his wife Carrie made a flyer to look for a donor and shared it with their close friends, including James, Skip’s tennis buddy for years.
“He said, ‘Hey, would you look at this pamphlet we put together? We’re thinking of putting it on social media, and I want you to be aware before you saw it,'” James said. “The second I read it, I think God was like, ‘James, you’ve got three healthy kids. You’re healthy, and your wife is healthy … You’ve got two kidneys, and he needs one.'”
Testing confirmed he was a perfect match, and together, the friends underwent successful transplant surgeries at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
We invited Skip and James to the Winston-Salem Open to celebrate their friendship and journey together. Our special guests opened the match with the ceremonial coin toss and were recognized on the court. Let’s rally together to serve them up some love!