Chiefs player who had near-death experience last year celebrated special birthday
Defensive end B.J. Thompson didn’t appear in a game last season with the Chiefs, but you won’t find anyone who was happier to be with the team than him.
Heck, Thompson was happy simply to be alive.
Last June, Thompson was in a special-teams meeting at the Chiefs facility when he suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest. Kicker Harrison Butker found assistant trainers Julie Frymyer and David Glover, who ran to help Thompson.
Head trainer Rick Burkholder and two more assistant trainers, Tiffany Morton and Evan Craft, soon arrived at the meeting room. Ditto for Dr. J.P Darche. An AED was used to re-start Thompson’s heart and saved his life.
“Thank goodness,” coach Andy Reid said a few days later. “If that had to happen, no better place than right here where you have the support that knows what to do.”
Nearly 10 months later, Thompson shared an emotional post on his Instagram story. It came on his 26th birthday, which was March 23.
“Almost lost my life at 25… Still blessed to see 26,” Thompson wrote and he included a photo from his time in the hospital. It made for an awesome moment.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 8:57 AM.
