When Texas Tech freshman Hunter Wagner ’18, first mentioned he wasn’t well, his chapter brothers told him he should check into a hospital.

“I hadn’t been feeling good for about a month and half, and I figured it was just from living in a dorm and people being sick,” Wagner said. “I tried to just sleep it off, thinking it was no big deal.”

When he finally went to see a physician, tests revealed he had a rare blood disorder called Aplastic Anemia that prevented his body from creating new blood cells. He later learned that doctors were surprised he made it through his first night at the hospital.

“My immune system had essentially reversed and attacked my blood marrow,” Wagner explained. “I wasn’t producing red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. I’m lucky to be alive.”

When his chapter brothers learned he would be staying in the hospital long term, they arranged visits, brought him food and raised more than $3,000 to help his family cover medical expenses. As the semester neared its close, they also arranged to perform the Epsilon Rite of Passage in the hospital so Wagner could complete the Ritual.

“It may have been unconventional,” Wagner said, “but the experience proved that SigEps are true brothers and friends, and I will never forget it.”

Wagner plans to rejoin his brothers in fall 2015.