I am sorry to report the loss of one of our beloved authors here at blood cancer uncensored, and a regular attender of our weekly zoom call. Tom was a great patient advocate, a good humoured and lovely guy, Tom Henry has passed away from a COVID infection.

Sadly like many patients with blood cancer Tom was immune compromised and despite multiple doses of covid vaccines never developed antibodies.

Many patients with blood cancer will be able to recover from COVID19, but sadly for Tom despite a month of treatment in a top USA hospital, this was not to be the case.

When life serves you lemons, the saying goes, you should make lemonade. And nobody embodied that better than the man I was proud to call a friend, Tom Henry.

He was determined to take what he learnt through his journey with cancer to help others. And help many he did through his work not just with this website and the Facebook group and zoom call we run, but with his own website, the CLL society and other patient groups.

Tom will be remembered for many things, but giving patients the courage to be an active part of their care is surely one of them. He said:

“I want you to feel empowered to advocate for your care, to question what seems wrong for you and, if necessary seek a second opinion or change providers to someone more willing to listen to you and be honest with you.“

Tom was a man of faith, though he did not impose that on others. Many, but by no means all, in the blood cancer uncensored family share his hope that leaving this world is not the end, but rather the beginning.

Tom, I am confident that you are meeting your maker right now and that he is saying “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Tom’s passing seems way too soon, and raises all kinds of questions about how COVID remains such a present danger to those of us with blood cancer and other causes of immune compromise.

Today several of those who knew Tom best are editing a collaborative statement from the International COVID-19 Blood Cancer Coalition (ICBCC). This document aims to improve awareness and stimulate action to protect patients like Tom. Somehow that seems an appropriate thing to be doing in memory of this powerful patient advocate.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

Adrian Warnoock

I am reslly saddened by our loss of Tom. I think of him as “every-man’s friend.” He was so personable. With so many treatments today for CLL/SLL, I find myself being lulled into thinking that we are invincible but of course, we’re not. Even if our blood cancer is under control, we are still vulnerable to other maladies like COVID19 & pneumonia. Any disease or infection that would normally be fought off by our immune system must be fought vigorously by other means if our immune system is weak. It has been awhile since the blood cancer community has been hit by the loss of one of our most well known CLL advocates. However, that all changed on Wednesday night I am reslly saddened by our loss of Tom. I think of him as “every-man’s friend.” He was so personable. With so many treatments today for CLL/SLL, I find myself being lulled into thinking that we are invincible but of course, we’re not. Even if our blood cancer is under control, we are still vulnerable to other maladies like COVID19 & pneumonia. Any disease or infection that would normally be fought off by our immune system must be fought vigorously by other means if our immune system is weak. It has been awhile since the blood cancer community has been hit by the loss of one of our most well known CLL advocates. However, that all changed on Wednesday night . . . READ THE REST

https://bloodcanceruncensored.com/reflections-on-the-loss-of-tom-henry-everyones-friend/

We lost a CLL friend, advocate, and scholar to COVID-19 . . .

Tom Henry was a special person, active in multiple forums, extraordinarily generous in sharing his wisdom as a pharmacist, faith, and hard-earned experience as a CLL patient . . .

I well remember his stern admonishment of my ordering a grapefruit sorbet for dessert. Didn’t I know about the interactions of grapefruit with my medications? He never could take off his caring and counseling pharmacist’s hat.

At CLL Society, he wrote a lot for us. Here is one of his many original articles, The Role of the Pharmacist in CLL, that is still as relevant and helpful today as it was the day he wrote it . .

Finally, at the request of Tom’s wife, the CLL Society has established the Thomas Henry Memorial Fund. If you are interested in supporting our mission of support, education, advocacy, and research in CLL/SLL, the family has suggested in lieu of flowers, one consider a donation . . .

READ THE REST

Tom entered our blood cancer uncensored group in early 2020 and instantly became a necessary part of the group. And then he became my friend. I never got to meet him in person, but he had such a loving, caring personality I immediately knew he was a very special person. With all his medical credentials, he knew just how to speak humbly to lay-folks like me. He brightened up our Saturday Zoom meetings when he attended. He was a world traveler yet he knew about my town and our beloved “garbage plate” and had a wonderful sense of humor! Tom Henry is etched on my heart forever. I can only pray to be able to give a small amount of what he taught me to others but in honor of his memory I will certainly try.

Lisa Wiest, Author at Blood Cancer UNcensored

I first met Tom on our weekly Zoom calls. I quickly realised that not only was he hugely knowledgeable about blood cancers, but that he was also really good company and had a great sense of humour. On many occasions I saw him reach out with calm wisdom to those who were newly diagnosed and scared. He always patiently explained things in way that we could all understand. He was a lovely man and will be missed by so many people. I’m grateful to God for his life.

Sue White, Author at Blood Cancer UNcensored

He was a gift to us, a wonderful man who helped so many understand exactly what it was we were going through and had such a gift with words. Thanks to him, treatment options were able to be understood, and his posts from the US about treatment options gave hope to many in the UK for whom such treatments were in trial over here. He broke down medical language so we could really comprehend matters.  He never spoke down, he was always helpful.  He will be missed, sorely.

Tina Price-Johnson, ADMIN of CLL Support UK

My memory of Tom, is that he was a perfect gentleman with a wealth of knowledge and insight who could answer virtually anything. His expertise will be sadly missed but more so his warm friendly smile 

MAggy Jackson, author at Blood CAncer Uncensored

You don’t realize just how much your friends, old and new, mean to you sometimes until they are no longer there.

Tom Henry Cll Pharmacist, was a fellow CLL’er friend and advocate. He lost his hard battle with Covid yesterday after almost a month in the hospital. Many of my fellow CLL friends, family and myself are beyond devastated this morning. He brought such knowledge, kindness and compassion to the table. It was always an honor when he would join on our support zoom meetings.

He’s been one of the many who has held my hand while I’ve been progressing in my cancer journey, and his absence is hitting very hard.

Tom was fully vaccinated and then some… many people with CLL are such high risk and are not able to fight it. Those that make it are lucky. Our immune systems are damaged.

Please keep Tom’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. We’ve all lost one of the good ones.

Misty Bradley

I am totally devastated to learn covid took another fellow CLLer. Tom Henry CLL Pharmacist was an amazing person. He shared his intelligence and his incredible personality with all of our support groups. Though he was fully vaccinated, he had CLL. We don’t mount great antibodies for covid. CLL is a cancer of the immune system and bone marrow. Our immune systems are broken. Rest well my friend. You sure fought hard. Thank you for your friendship.

Lisa Emmel McKenna