Live Like A Champ

Life is hard. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows they’re going to face life. The test of one’s true character though, is how they deal with that adversity. Some people become depressed, some people struggle through it, and then there’s Champ Pederson (‘06).

Champ was born on October 2nd, 1987 at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California. If you were the nurse introducing him to the world, you wouldn’t be able to tell he was any different from the baby down the hall, but he was. Champ was born with Down syndrome.

His family knew of his disability, and so did Champ, but he didn’t, and still doesn’t, care. He lives his life to the fullest and he does it with a smile stretched from ear to ear. This same smile would be reflected on the faces of his three younger siblings: Tyger (‘08), Joc (‘10), and Jacey Pederson (‘16).

Down syndrome occurs when a child is born with an abnormality on the 21st chromosome, which is why the medical term for the disease is Trisomy 21. A child with Down syndrome often experiences delayed development, a distinct facial appearance which is typically a bit wider than the average human, and learning disabilities. Sometimes, individuals with Down syndrome need lifelong care, but Champ was, and is, so vastly different.

Champ doesn’t hide his disability, he instead conquers it and doesn’t let it control his life. At the age of 29, Champ is as content as they come. Read More Here: (http://vikingsportsmag.com/features/2016/11/02/live-like-a-champ/)