Tristan Thompson’s 13-year-old brother, Amari, lives with epilepsy and suffers seizures on a regular basis. Watching Amari battle this dreaded condition that attacks the central nervous system inspired Tristan to launch the Amari Thompson Fund in conjunction with Epilepsy Toronto back in 2013. The foundation has gone on to help nearly 40,000 families in Thompson’s hometown of Toronto support their loved ones dealing with this debilitating neurological disorder.
This week, UNINTERRUPTED released an inspiring behind-the-scenes look at Tristan’s relationship with Amari and his work to support those suffering from Epilepsy. LeBron James shared a one-minute clip of the video on Twitter while saluting the effort of his Klutch Sports brethren and former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate.
“We were blessed to have the love and support of family and friends to help us through the difficulty times with Amari’s seizures,” Tristan said about why he started the Amari Thompson Fund initially.
“Not everyone is so fortunate. Too many struggle alone, desperate to manage this new and often scary life with seizures. The Amari Thompson Fund supports epilepsy programs and services that ensure no one faces epilepsy alone.”
The 28-year-old Thompson is set to begin his ninth season with a rebuilding Cavaliers team when the 2019-20 campaign tips off. The big man has averaged 9.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game throughout his career while proving to be a critical part of Cleveland’s championship run in 2016. He has also appeared in all 82 regular-season games four times and owns the Cavs franchise record for consecutive games played at 447. You can watch the full UNINTERRUPTED video with Tristan and Amari below.
