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Men's Soccer Inks Mathieu Saber Through Team IMPACT
2/1/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown University men's soccer team officially welcomed Mathieu Saber, an 11-year-old from Somerset, Mass., to its roster on Wednesday through a special Team IMPACT "Draft Day" held at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
"Mattie", who was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2016, signed his National Letter of Intent during a "Draft Day" ceremony in front of family and friends at the Pizzitola Center's media room. He also received two authentic team jerseys and a soccer scarf from the team and head coach Patrick Laughlin, who announced the signing to kick off the ceremony.
"We're thrilled that we are able to match with Mattie," said Laughlin. "It's great to have a new member and a guy who loves soccer just like we do, and we're really looking forward to getting to know Mattie better."
Mattie started his relationship with Brown men's soccer in January and most recently spent time with the team at the men's basketball game against Harvard, where he watched the game and toured the facilities surrounded by his new teammates. As a new team member, Mattie will attend Bears' practices, games, team dinners, events, and more.
Mattie was diagnosed with epilepsy in November of 2016. His treatments have included different medicines and a special diet to help limit the frequency of his seizures, but Mattie is tough and refuses to let his epilepsy define him. A massive soccer fan and all-star soccer player, he was selected to train with the Barcelona Training Academy in Spain and is currently a member of the Bayside U12 Development Academy Team in East Providence. Mattie is a fighter who truly embodies the Bears' never-quit attitude, and he and his family are excited to become part of the Brown men's soccer family.
"We heard his story, what he has been going through with epilepsy and how it's impacted his life, so when we had the opportunity to sign him to the team we were ecstatic," said Brown senior Gabe Welp. "Seeing his grit, his toughness, his positivity through the adversity of his illness, we're learning a lot from him as well. It's already been beneficial for both sides."
"You can see the excitement with the team," added Laughlin. "The guys were thrilled to be able to interact with him, see someone else who is having a difficult time and maybe help him, become friends with him and really get to know the person. It's an important thing that we can do here at Brown and for the team to see that there are a lot of opportunities to make the world better for other people."
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston, Mass. that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,400 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 47 states, reaching over 35,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.
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