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ODE TO TOM
I don’t mind losing but I’m not giving in.
In his all too brief life Tom has touched all of us here today and many who cannot join us. Sadly eventually and inevitably his body betrayed his mind, spirit and will.
He explained the split between the two graphically and forcibly to Esther his consultant in these words' I know what my body is doing but that’s the way it is, in my mind, inside, I accept that and carry on with my life. I don’t mind losing but I’m not giving in…..'
We all have our own memories of the boy, Tom, Tozzer, (much to his amusement) or Rodney (thanks brother).
Sitting in the garden, eating with friends and family, collecting gadgets, Messenger, walks on the beach, ordering mountains of sweets on line, spending hours in a hot shower, building computers and watching TV. Fights with Jaws and speech packages, banter, bad jokes and badinage, texting over England's gains and losses, mostly the latter, listening to endless music and playing his guitars.
Tom had an uncanny understanding of people and nothing about them ever surprised him. He thought of people in colours and I know some of you are wearing your colours today.
Since his death on Tuesday tributes have flooded in from across the world in praise of his life. Many are personal recollections of a great friend but all have the same things in common - his sheer determination, his tenacity to let nothing get in the way, his passion for life itself, seeing the challenge with optimism and his wonderful sense of humour. Even people who hardly knew him experienced these things in a brief conversation or just in his company. But, having said those things, the most wonderful thing that people said about him was that he was inspirational - such a good bloke.
From school his long-standing friends say they were inspired by his determination and hunger for fun - an amazing person and a privilege to know. A school friend tells of Tom riding on the back of his friends bike round school campus, spending hours setting the world to rights and when his friend was tired Toms hand would appear from behind full of sweets, a seemingly endless supply, for as Tom put it, a sugar boost, to keep them going. Wheelchair madness, after a liquid lunch, flying round in shops, munching pizza on the way home and facing the challenges of being pushed down narrow paths to the Drum and Monkey!
At university he insisted in being in ordinary Halls of residence and made fantastic friends, many here today, who shared so much of his life - the work for his future career, then travelling together for parties and sometimes rugby games after they left university. Sharing the wheel chair on jolly nights out and talking daily on Messenger, continuing the banter and fun.
He loved travelling to his friends on the train. We remember seeing him pass through the station when they forgot to get him off and him laughing on the phone saying he would get the train back from Watford or ending up in Stanstead instead of Ipswich.
Loughborough University wrote; we learned so much from him whilst he was here, which will be of benefit to other students who follow him. He was an inspiration to many in the Department and without doubt it was a privilege to have had him as one of our students and subsequently one of our graduates.
Going on to work for a now large American company, which he helped, get off the ground from the beginning, he was in daily contact with his great friend the Company CEO. Working late into the night discussing support and transcribing Braille math code for the whole of Europe from his bedroom.
'We were making plans for sight village this morning,' he wrote, 'I started thinking about Tom singing hard rock songs on a Karaoke at the party last year, wearing a toga, arm in arm with his fellow toga-laden rockers, pumping his arm in the air (the one not holding the beer) and howling. This is how I will always remember him – milking every ounce of life he could grab. What a brave and wonderful son of a gun!'
For his birthday just before he died he expressed a wish to fly in a helicopter here are Toms own words which he e mailed to friend. Hi, here are a couple of pics of me in my little helicopter! I actually got a certificate saying the 20 minutes counted towards my pilot's license because I handled the controls under supervision. I did lift us off a few feet and land us from there but that was all, pretty damn cool though so I might have to try again at some point....
One felt he would and even get his license such was the character of this young man.
Never complaining, unless England failed in the field or at the crease, Tom lived his life to the full beyond what his physical frailties should have allowed, he too was lucky to be loved by so many.
Passionate, determined, wise, a person who was a privilege to have known.
In the end the body lost and we lost but not through lack of trying
Tom Johnston 1982-2007