Thompson On Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team

Aristotle Thompson has been named to the 2022 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team

FB12/1/2022 11:46 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal Running Backs Coach Honored For Work Related To Son Bryson’s Epilepsy

Cal running backs coach Aristotle Thompson was selected Thursday to the 2022 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team for his work related to his son Bryson’s rare form of epilepsy Dravet Syndrome.

Since 2009, Uplifting Athletes has been honored to celebrate individuals from college athletics for their commitment to driving positive change for the rare disease community as part of its Rare Disease Champion Team. Each team member shares their experience to inspire hope for a future where no person impacted by rare disease feels alone.

“It is an honor to be selected to the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team and be connected with an organization that is committed to helping others in similar situations,” Thompson said. “Our mission as an entire family is to do everything we can to make life better for all children like Bryson suffering from this disease, whether that is to raise awareness about epilepsy and the need for additional funds for research, or anything else that may help these children and their families. The ability for kids to be kids, no matter what they have, is so important to us.”

Bryson suffered his first epileptic seizure in 2015 and the entire Thompson family – Aristotle; wife, Sarah; sons, Brock, Bryson and Lennon; daughters Akyra and Payton – have been on a mission to support his battle ever since.

Doctors recommended that Bryson be equipped with a special protective helmet to help keep him safe from the epileptic seizures he continues to suffer on an almost daily basis but insurance denied payment for the helmet. The charity Jack’s Helping Hand stepped in to pay for Bryson’s first helmet but the situation also inspired Bryson and his brother, Brock, to start Helmets4Helmets to help other children in similar circumstances and the foundation has already provided helmets to more than 60 kids. Aristotle uses his platform as a football coach to support the foundation and bring awareness to the need for increased funding for epilepsy but Brock and Bryson do the majority of the work. The organization asks for helmets from…