Thomas Dixon

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THOMAS DIXON "Our Smiler"

Born 17th March 1979
Died 26th May 1999
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Age 20 years

From Wyke in Bradford
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This site is a tribute to the life of THOMAS DIXON, for everyone to remember him by, and leave their thoughts and prayers with him. I think he deserves it by far.
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Feel free to add your own thoughts and comments, as im sure everyone has some great memories of the time that they shared with Thomas.

There could never be enough websites for me to say how special he was, and how much he meant to me, so this is just a tiny insight into his life and even how he stayed strong when he knew he was ill.
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♥ ♥ Tom: ♥ ♥

Remember Tom with a smile, he wasnt one for tears,

Remember all the memories of all the happy years,

Remember all the songs he loved, and the funny things he said,

His face, his smile, the way he walked, the way he talked,

REMEMBER THESE INSTEAD

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Thomas is the most fantastic, and bravest person ive ever met.
A True Inspiration.

T ouched the heart of many
H appy and fun loving
O utstanding personailty
M uch laughter
A lways brave and courageous
S miler

Thomas,
The Blow Was GREAT
The Shock SO SEVERE
We Never Thought The End
Was NEAR
Only Those Who Have LOST
Can Tell
THE PAIN OF PARTING
WITHOUT FAREWELL!
I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU MY
SPECIAL BROTHER
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Many people didn't realise just exactly what Thomas went through, so here i try to explain a little, just as a very brief encounter , about why we all lost Thomas, although a it's little sad, we all have very very happy memories of his life and the times we spent with him. Thomas bore his illness with a smile, and never let it get him down. Those of you who knew him, know just what a great lad he was, he could cheer anyone up, and you couldnt help but smile when he was around. The life and soul of any party, Tom may be gone but he will never be forgotten...........

Thomas Dixon was born on a really snowy day on 17th March 1979 (St.Patricks Day) in St.Lukes hospital, Bradford, a beautiful blonde hair and blue eyed, 8lb baby.
The youngest of 4 children,he has 2 older brothers Bobbie and Nicky, and im his sister, Pat (21 mths older).
Thomas was born with a serious heart condition, Congenital Heart Disease. He had a univentricular heart or also known as single ventricle,as well as a range of other problems that would be far too complicated to go into but it also, included his lungs and major arteries, the cause of this is still unknown to doctors...although rubella contact is maybe thought to have contributed, there was only one other slightly similar case in the U.K at the time. It is very rare.
In 1979 there werent scans to detect problems like this, (although this is routine nowadays), and the first anyone knew of his condition was when Thomas was born . This condition did not allow his body the oxygen it needed as he only had 2 valves in his heart instead of 4, leaving him breathless and blue. There was also a hole in his heart which they tried and tried to close, but couldn't, this allowed oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix throughout his body instead of just in his lungs. Doctors prepared my mum and dad for the worst, and told her that Thomas probably would not live until he was 1. Then at around 3 months old when he went into heart failure, Thomas was baptised at his bedside in St. Lukes hospital by a Catholic Priest whom also became his godfather, and a nurse who stood in as his godmother.
Thomas being the fighter that he was, he pulled through, then they said he probably wouldnt see 5, again he proved them wrong, then they thought he wouldn't live to see his teens!!Well he got to 20, so they were all wrong. Tom spent a lot of time in hospital throughout his 20 years and faced life or death operations, and all kinds of complex procedures that were quite new then, to which he never complained once, even though he suffered so much. Tom just got on with life bearing a smile.

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His final operation led him to spend a month in hospital before he died.He had collapsed near home whilst out with friends, and even though he wasnt due for a check up, which he had every few months, my mum took Thomas straight back to Leeds General Infirmary, and there they realised that Thomas's heart had deteriorated really quickly since the last time they saw him, and tests showed that he had about 20% less oxygen in his body than he should have.My uncle, (my mum's brother) offered to pay for Thomas an operation privatley abroad after my mum wanted a second opinion, but the surgeon told my mum that Thomas was seriously ill, and would not be able to leave the hospital, let alone fly, he could not be moved .
My mum was told that Thomas was dying, and they left it to her to tell him gently, but as she briefly went home, Thomas was told by his consultant, that if he didnt have an operation to try prolong his life a little longer, as he was palliative not curative, then he would only have 6 months left at the most.(and there was no guarantee that it would work) also previous surgeries had left large amounts of scar tissue within his body, which had to be removed during the operation.
I wish i had been there for him to hold his hand when they told him, because he was on his own, and it was wrong of them to do that. My mum was supposed to tell him. Even so, how would you tell your child that??

Thomas had the option to have the operation or go to a hospice! He was terminally ill by now, but Thomas had defied doctors so far, that none of us actually thought that the end was near, he was a fighter through and through.

Thomas maintained his courage and agreed to the surgery. The operation was done on Tuesday the 25th May 1999, a day i will never ever forget.
The whole family were there, and it took about 10/11 very intense hours. I remember going to see him early on the morning of the operation to spend some time with him, although i was scared and he was scared, he was still trying to keep our spirits up, and making me laugh, because that is just how he was.
We were allowed to go down to the theatre with him, and give him a kiss, and we all told him we would see him when he come out, i didnt realise that would be the last time i saw him awake and alive. I think at that moment anyone of us would have gone through that operation for him if we could have.
About 10 hours into the operation a nurse came and said that the operation was almost complete, and that they were just trying to restart Thomas's heart, it seemed to go on forever, and we were all holding our breath by that point.
Then relieved, we finally got the news that he was ok and it had been a success, and he was moved to intensive care to recover in a room on his own.
We all went to see him, it was heartbreaking, although we had seen him in intensive care before, he seemed to be fighting really hard, i dont know if he knew we were there, as he was on so much medication for pain, and was unconscious.
Later we all left him to rest, but my mum stayed by his side throughout. Thomas woke up briefly and my mum spoke to him, although he couldnt reply to her. Later she was told to go and get some rest and to let Thomas rest as it had been a long day, although she didnt want to she thought it would be best for Thomas.
A couple of hours later (the early hours of Wednesday 26th) she got a knock on her room door, they told her that Thomas had taken a turn for the worst and to come back to intensive care, she rushed straight down and they had stabilised him as he had 2 cardiac arrests, but then shortly afterwards he really deteriorated and had 3 more, this time Thomas died. Heaven had gained a new angel.
Thomas fought it right to the end!! My mum was there on her own when this happened, but the first i knew is when my 2 elder brothers came to my house at 3.40 in the morning and told me the bad news, my world fell apart there and then. Nicky and Bobbie managed to drive back to the hospital,to pay respects to Thomas, and to eventually bring my mum home. I couldnt face it, and wouldnt believe that my little brother had gone,the pain was unbelievable. i think they all had a few hours with him back at the hospital before he was moved. I went to see him the day after in the hospital chapel of rest,but NOTHING can EVER prepare you for it. The worst mental and physical pain and feeling of loss i will ever ever experience, our lives shattered forever. But it was all very unreal at the same time.
Thomas was brought home for 5 days before his funeral, which took place on 2nd June 1999 at St Josephs Catholic Church.
So many flowers and tributes poured into my mum's house, it was clear to see how much everybody else loved him as well. His best friends all bought him a new Celtic football shirt to be buried in.
Thomas was such a funny person with a great sense of humour, liked by everyone, and he could make anyone laugh. To me, he was no different than anyone else, just a bit more special because he was my brother, and tried to lead as normal a life as anyone else. Tom never wanted to be any different,and we did mostly the same things. My mum was told he would have to go to a special school, not a chance, we all went to the same schools, he was in the year below me! She was also told he would never walk, so she spent hours and hours in a baby walker with him, pushing him about and encouraging him until he did it.
I know Thomas would have loved to be able to drive a car, but couldn't because of his health. We had plenty of fun and a lot of laughter over the years, especially in the pubs and clubs. We once went to Fantazia in Manchester at the G-Mex, and it was a 12 hour do, 8pm-8am. Thomas put us to shame when we were all slumped on the floor exhausted and he was still going. We did everything else together swimming, iceskating, day riders on buses and trains, just anything and everything that kids get up to!! Thomas was a very kind and warm hearted person, with lots of good friends,and would help anyone he could. He loved life, and fought so hard for his own, he made it special for all of us who knew him. Im so proud to say he's my little brother, but he was also my best friend, i have so many brilliant memories of him, as will everyone else who knew him.

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He will always be remembered for having great courage, an infectious smile and a wicked sense of humour. Tom was Tom and can never be replaced.

I am so glad we had 20 years of knowing you Tom, we will love you forever.

You will NEVER EVER be forgotten!!

Rest in Peace Thomas, we all have a massive part of us missing without you here.

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You will be Missed Forever by all who knew you.

A special Angel.....

There's a special angel in heaven
That is a part of me
It is not where I wanted him
But where God wanted him to be

He was here but just a moment
Like a night time shooting star
And though he is in heaven
He isn't very far

He touched the heart of many
Like only an angel can do
I would've held him more often
If the end I only knew

So I send this special message
To the heavens up above
Please take care of my angel
And send him all my love

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Keep My Memory

Keep my memory with you,
For memories never die;
I will be there with you,
When you look across the sky.
I will be there in the clouds,
In the birds that fill the air;
In the beauty of a fragrant rose,
You will find my memory there.
You will feel me in the tenderness,
Of a tiny baby's touch;
You will hear me if you listen,
In the twilight's gentle hush.
When your hearts are heavy,
And you feel that you are alone;
Just reach down deep inside of you,
For your heart is now my home.
I will always be with you,
I will never go away;
For I will live on in your hearts,
Forever and a day.



Feel free to email me if you have any pictures of Thomas you would like to add to the site for him.

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