A highly anticipated meeting happens Friday night. It's not the inner-city showdown between Adams and Washington under the lights; instead, it marks the first time the Eagles' honorary captain joins them on the sidelines. He's a toddler from New York state.

"It's the same as having an 18-year-old or 17-year-old captain. It's really the same thing. Treat them no differently. He's one of us. He's a part of the team," said Ira Armstead and Jackson Joyce, key members of the Adams offense.

Their assistant head coach, Bob Byers, 59, couldn't refuse the opportunity to name Tristan Thompson to the team. He's a curly-mopped 2-and-a-half year-old from Webster, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester.

"As a parent, we -- my wife and I -- were in sheer terror for the family," said Byers.

In June 2017, he was deluged with missed calls once he landed at Midway Airport in Chicago. They were from Be the Match, the bone marrow registry.

"They said they had a little boy, a 1-and-a-half year-old boy that I was the only match in the country for," Byers recalled.

Before he picked up his luggage, he returned the calls and went through the questionnaire to qualify him as a legitimate donor for Tristan, who was born with a rare immune system disorder that can kill people by age 25.

"All of a sudden, you get this phone call that changes your life," Tim Thompson, Tristan's father, told WHEC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Rochester.

In July 2017, Byers donated his bone marrow over a one-day period, buying back time for the little boy. Byers' players and head coach, Antwon Jones, loved the idea of making Tristan a part of their team.

"Being on a football team isn't always about wins and losses, not always about scoring touchdowns or making sacks. Sometimes, it's about the life experiences and life lessons you learn," Jones said.

The team made Tristan an honorary captain, sent him a signed jersey along with a video of the young men cheering for him. Byers mailed the boy a stuffed penguin and a 'get well' note.

Tristan was the second person to whom Byers has donated bone marrow in the last five years. The other recipient was a 49-year-old man from Wales, U.K. They never met, but he has heard the man is doing well.

"I think everybody would do it if they had chance. I would hope they would," Byers remarked.

The Byers and Thompson families met for the first time Thursday, with a Southwest Airlines video crew capturing of all the action.

On Friday, Tristan along with his parents met the John Adams football team before the Washington game.

"You gave us a lot of strength, and we appreciated it and we look forward to seeing you kick some butt tonight," encouraged Tim Thompson, Tristan's father.

His fiance, and Tristan's mother, Ashley Leecy, say the bone marrow transplant experience has instilled the key values in life.

"There's just so much more perspective with this in our lives. The rest is just noise. I mean, this is real, this is important, and this is what it's about," she said.

To sign up to be a bone marrow donor, visit the

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