Wyatt Lindsay is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Desert Vista High School for AZPreps365.com

When Desert Vista linebackers coach Kevin Singleton walks the sidelines, his message to players goes far beyond football.

His lessons are about life, resilience and gratitude, which are values he forged while going through one of the most difficult battles a human can face.

In the summer of 1989, fatigue and pain disrupted Kevin’s routine.

“I thought I was training too hard," said Singleton. “I just went to the doctor, he gave me some medication and I figured I'd be okay and get back to the field.”

“It didn't turn out that way,” Singleton said.

Doctors diagnosed him with acute blastoma leukemia. His condition started to deteriorate quickly and his blood cells fell to zero, leaving him in critical condition.

In 1989, Singleton was a 22-year-old linebacker at the University of Arizona, projected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick alongside his twin brother, Chris. The two were known as the “Singletwins,” a powerhouse duo from New Jersey who had built their college careers side by side.

With Kevin’s life on the line, Chris made a decision that changed everything while preparing for the NFL Draft. He became his brother's bone marrow donor in what was then an experimental procedure.

“The cancer was canceling my red bloods and my white bloods, my platelets,” Singleton said. “So I was kind of just being suffocated…pretty much being suffocated to death,”

“There was no doubt in my mind I was going to help my brother, there wasn’t anything in my career, college, or NFL that was going to stop me,” Chris Singleton said.

Within 41 days, Kevin’s blood counts began to recover.

“He didn’t care about the combine,” Singleton said. ”He didn't give a damn about that. He saved my life.”

After months of treatment and recovery, Kevin was granted a sixth year of eligibility and returned to the Wildcat defensive force for the 1990-1991 season, serving as a team leader both on and off the field.

More than 35 years later, Singleton remains cancer-free.

“I don’t call it surviving anymore, I'm living now,” Singleton said.

He said the experience shifted his entire outlook.

 “At that time I was embarrassed,” Singleton said.I thought my story was something to hide because I wasn’t in the NFL. But I realized I could take that illness and make it into something people want to hear,”Singleton said.

The Singleton twins now both coach at Desert Vista High School–Kevin with the football program and Chris as the boys basketball coach.

Desert Vista Athletic Director Darcy Boggs praised Singleton’s leadership and the impact he’s made since joining the program.

“He leads our team and helped them a lot in his new role this year,” said Boggs, referring to his role as the head of security at Desert Vista.

Singleton’s approach to coaching is unique.

“I’m not going to yell at them for making mistakes, I want them to understand why they’re angry, why they’re sad. I want to help them problem-solve,” Singleton said.

After nearly four decades, his message remains the same, focusing on gratitude, growth and giving back.

“If I can impact one person, that's enough,” Singleton said. “If I talk to you and you go share it with someone else, that's how it spreads. That's where I am at, living, giving back and helping others see they can do the same.”