Tom’s been one of our key High Profile Supporter since he sadly lost his dad to a brain tumour in 2011.
One of our key supporters across our campaigns and social media, Tom was the face of our BBC Lifeline Appeal in 2017
Chandos Green, pictured on the far right of the photo and one of The Charity’s Young Ambassadors, got the chance to watch Tom in training action and chat to him.
“Getting to meet Tom last week and seeing the GB Team train for their up-and-coming competitions, was a surreal experience. It’s definitely up there in the amazing opportunities I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy with The Charity to date.”
“Watching diver after diver hit the water at up to 35mph, we all sat in wonder asking the same question ‘Surely it must hurt…a lot?’
“With each dive, you saw them re-watch and analyse their positioning on the pool side video screens and discuss each dive with Jane Figueiredo, their Olympic coach.
“The team spirit among the team was so uplifting; as each person completed a dive, the cheers and motivational shout-outs coming from those watching was like a mini-Olympic crowd.
“What made the morning so amazing I think, was seeing groups of young people walk past Tom wishing me a good day or just saying hi, like it was a daily occurrence.
“So as you can imagine we all had a list of questions to ask him after the training session had finished.
“Tom explained how when diving you have to keep your eyes open, yup, I just said that right! This is to ensure they can complete the dive correctly, noticing each turn in the routine, based on a number of factors from their environment among other things.
“But no matter how well you write it on paper or say it out loud, I can’t even begin to imagine how it feels going at speed into a pool of water with your EYES OPEN; even the thought of it fills me with fear.
“But in a demanding and testing sport, Tom seemed to be so relaxed. I guess you have to be when you see them balanced on their hands, inches from the edge of the end of the 10m platform.
“We all asked so many questions, everyone was just buzzing being in the exclusive ‘dry dive’ training area backstage at poolside, complete with a huge sponge-filled diving pit, ice pack station and full-size table tennis table – the team are super-competitive, Tom said, so it lets them take out their energy!
“He was so relaxed and let us ask so many questions, explaining about his diet and routine throughout the week and when he first started diving.
“When he was sharing his journey, it was clear that the sport is a huge drive for him and the personal approach he brought to the whole morning for us made it more evident that he, like everyone working towards a cure for brain tumours, is passionate about raising awareness.
“It was just a great morning.”
Tom will feature in our Brain Tumour Awareness Month (BTAM) video later this month and we hope to make the meet ‘n’ greet a regular event for our supporters, so we’ll post details when further dates become available.