Because of the shift work involved in policing, Tom was unable to attend university in a conventional sense. Instead, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in History almost entirely by correspondence with the University of Waterloo, something that requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline. Tom didn't stop there, and on June 12th, 1998, he graduated from Osgoode Law School, Toronto, Ontario. He managed to continue working for the police service throughout the three years he attended law school. We were so in awe of his stamina and determination, and the fact that it never seemed a chore or in any way tedious to him. I don't recall ever hearing him complain about his workload or the stress level he must have endured.
In December of 1998, Tom wrote and passed his Bar exams. Sadly, he was ill during this time with what he thought was a chest cold that just wouldn't seem to go away. On January 15th, he went back to his doctor to follow-up and was sent for chest x-rays. He was immediately admitted to hospital with a condition called pleural effusion. Six days later Tom was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia (AML) and was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. The next day after experiencing complications he was transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital's Intensive Care Unit. Five days later, we lost our dear, wonderful Tom. It still isn't real to us, and we are so very devastated by all that has happened, but time is beginning to heal. Having Tom at all was to me, a miracle. He was so special. I'm sure some greater power thought so too, and decided he was needed elsewhere. He has left footprints on our hearts that will last forever and for that I'm grateful.
|