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How One Syracuse Football Player Overcame Adversity How One Syracuse Football Player Overcame Adversity

By Riley Didier

KALLAN ARKEDER: “One Syracuse University football player may look fearless on the field but he wasn’t always sure he’d be able to play. Our own Riley Didier reports on how this athlete overcame his biggest struggle.”

ALLIE BOLINSKY: “The prognosis is very poor if you don’t catch the symptoms rather quickly.”

RILEY DIDIER: “When Aaron Bolinsky was just 7 months old, he began showing signs of a seizure disorder known as infantile spasm disorder, a disease that only affects every 1 in 75,000 children. His mother immediately knew something was not right and took matters into her own hands.”

ALLIE BOLINSKY: “So what we decided to do was just like video tape it and take it to the doctors and the doctor said yes this is what we have.”

RILEY DIDIER: “Aaron was quickly diagnosed by a neurologist and immediately began treatment to subside the effects of the disorder.”

AARON BOLINSKY: “I had taken a steroid shot in my leg one a day one time a day and from the very first time I took it my seizures had stopped but I continued it up until my first birthday.”

RILEY DIDIER: “At just 10 months old, Aaron weighed about 39 pounds due to the steroid. But fortunately for him, weight gain as a child was the only symptom he experienced following the prognosis.”

AARON BOLINSKY: “Just seeing like what some kids go through like how it can lead to potential death that it’s just truly a miracle and a blessing to be able to be here and play at the division 1 school like Syracuse.”

RILEY DIDIER: “While infantile spasm disorder is an extremely rare condition and it’s causes are unknown Aaron and his family are extremely blessed for where Aaron is today and for his future.”

ALLIE BOLINSKY: “It’s been a, it was a long road in the beginning but you know here we are today never thinking that we would be where we’re at.”

RILEY DIDIER: “Aaron is now the starting long snapper on the Syracuse football team, having earned a scholarship during his freshman year.”

ALLIE BOLINSKY: “So we’ve been very blessed to know that, look at where, look at what Aaron’s doing today.”

RILEY DIDIER: “With NCC News, I’m Riley Didier”

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — As a child, Aaron Bolinsky was forced to overcome one of his biggest obstacles he will ever face. When Aaron was just 7 months old, he was diagnosed with infantile spasm disorder, a rare seizure disease with unknown causes. Aaron’s mother, Allie Bolinsky, first noticed the symptoms when it looked as if he was trying to say “yes,” but rather was having small seizures in his high chair.

Allie took matters into her own hands, as she knew this was not normal, and began taking videos as proof for future doctors appointments.

Aaron was immediately diagnosed with infantile spasm disorder and began steroid injections in his leg following the diagnosis. Very soon after the injections, the seizures had subsided, but Aaron continued with these steroid injections up until his first birthday.

“Just seeing like what some kids go through like how it can lead to potential death that it’s just truly a miracle and a blessing to be able to be here and play at the division one school like Syracuse,” said Aaron Bolinsky.

While the situation could have had a much more dire outcome, Aaron found that he was able to overcome the disease to live out his dream of playing football at the division one level.

Aaron Bolinsky is now the starting long snapper for the Syracuse football team. You can check out the schedule here to see when you can watch Aaron on the field next season with the Syracuse football team.

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