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Tom, Tomson, Tommy T, Tucker, Tre, Tyrannoaosaurus rex – okay I made the last one up, but it’s amazing how one person can have so many nicknames. 

He started as fresh-faced graduate in 2012, and was always at the enviable advantage of really understanding what Cisco did. He got it. His knowledge, though, was understated and he was kind; he made for the ideal teacher, and teach us he did. Tommy the teacher came into his own 6 months in when a competition was launched asking for video submissions to explain Cisco’s Data Centre proposition. He taught us all we needed to know; 3 weeks, one Hollywood production and 5 iPads later, we had arrived. Tom was a genius and Cisco was a wonderful place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfj5lTezOZY&list=LL2f-3gWtk8zN67pzd9x8CJg

Many trips would follow. We went to Paris to meet our new Cisco colleagues and friends; Tom had never been to Paris before, there quickly followed a Facebook album “Tommy boy does Paris”.

We visited Amsterdam to give back to the local community; Tom accidentally put salt instead of sugar in the pancakes so we didn't sell as many as we might have. We flew to Budapest and immersed ourselves in local culture watching Froch beat Groves in an Irish pub.

Of course, work was a big part of the job too. Tom wasn’t bad at that either – he won a trip to Dubai at the first time of asking and was the first graduate to be promoted, he was to be in AM in the Public Sector team.

Tom had been at Cisco for 2 years when the decision was announced that the global sales team would be meeting in Vegas in August. 

Like many, Tom made the most of this opportunity by spending the week beforehand with friends in California. The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Mustangs, Yosemite; you can imagine the scenes. Tom took to the mustang and Yosemite like a duck to water, commanding the roads and setting the pace on the hike. However, Redwoods and waterfalls were soon transformed into hotels and casinos for a weekend in Vegas before GSX began.

On his way back to the hotel on Saturday night, Tom tripped and fell down 3 flights of marble stairs.

What followed was a month of Tom fighting for his life. He was operated on within 2 hours of the accident; part of his skull was removed to relieve the pressure of the bleeding in his brain. Tom was put into a medically induced coma to help his brain recover as quickly as possible, and the life support machine was critical for his immediate survival. Thanks to superb support from Cisco, Tom’s parents were by his side within 24 hours.

Several weeks elapsed during which Tom’s condition was extremely uncertain; the pressure in his brain began to rise and he was having seizures. At times, Tom’s friends and family didn’t think he would make it.

The outstanding care that Tom received in America gave him a fighting chance. He began to stabilise and, only 3 weeks after the accident, he was breathing by himself for most of the day. Although Tom was not yet awake, he was making remarkable progress.

On September 16th Tom opened his eyes for the first time.

On 20th September, Tom was flown back to the UK via Toronto Newfoundland & Iceland on a private plane. First stop was Charing Cross Hospital, here he gradually began to gain consciousness. Although far from lucid, he began to show signs of recognition through eye movement and small hand gestures. Over the coming days, these positive signs increased and gradually he began to move more; he progressed from his bed into a wheelchair before assisted walking.

Tom was then moved to Kingston hospital, where he was granted his own private room from which to continue his recovery. This is where he defied both the American and British doctors; his speech began to formulate and he was walking unassisted shortly after.

Tom continued his appraisal of NHS hospitals with a trip to St. George’s Tooting. Here he began dedicated Neuro- rehabilitation in which he attends daily classes with various specialists and continues to improve and is now allowed to go home at weekends. Although Tom has made a miraculous recovery to date, there is still a long road ahead not least involving the operation to reconstruct his skull.

Tom, Tomson, Tommy T, Tucker, Tre, Tyrannoaosaurus rex – you’ve defied the odds. Your attitude will always be an inspiration to us. We wish you good health and happy days ahead; we’ll be with you every step of the way.

It just so happens the first steps are marathon like steps. On 26^th April, Tom’s sister Charlotte, together with Hugh Killingbeck-Jones, Megan Fairlie and Peter Durkin will run the London Marathon for Headway Surrey. Headway is a UK-wide charity that works to improve life after brain injury for people like Tom in a number of different ways. It was chosen by Tom’s parents for the fantastic support they can provide in the aftermath of traumatic brain injury. They would be so grateful for any donations.

http://www.headwaysurrey.org/

We know that Tom will be smiling and cheering us on at the finish line – it goes without saying, we would like to see as many of you there as possible.

*****IMPORTANT*****

Are you a Cisco employee?  

If you are, Cisco will MATCH all donations over £30.  

Make your donation on this page and then go to: 

http://iwe.cisco.com/web/ciscocitizen and request a match by searching for "Headway" using the Community Connection app on the RHS of the page as you scroll down.