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war torn areas he had been in during his time in the military. He climbed 50 foot trees to cut down branches that were laying over power lines or crushing houses. Tom lived in a tent with no power for nine months while he assisted in the rescue and cleanup of the devastated New Orleans area. He was one of many superheroes in the Gulf Region at that time.

Tom finally returned home the following summer. He began searching for a job. After having no luck in finding a job that paid enough to support our family, he decided to go to CDL School to obtain his commercial drivers license so that he could become a truck driver. There were several trucking companies hiring that paid extremely well. Once he received his CDL, he started driving for a company that had him travelling all over the country and into Canada and Mexico. He missed seeing our family every day but knew sacrifices sometimes had to be made. He wanted us to not have to worry about paying the bills. He also wanted me to be able to go back to school and obtain my Bachelors degree without having to work at the same time.

Tom is still driving a truck, but now gets to come home every night. He still works 70 to 80 hours a week though, driving back and forth to Chicago every day. This leaves him even more exhausted then when he drove over the road, but at least he gets to come home to his family every night and tuck his children into bed. I cannot wait until I am able to graduate so that he does not have to work so hard to provide for our family.

We recently learned that Tom is just beginning the fight of his life. He is going to need to be more brave and strong then he has ever been before. Due to some of the toxic chemicals and gasses he was exposed to in Dessert Storm, Tom has developed esophageal cancer. It is just in the beginning stages and the doctors are hoping, with the right combination of medication, that it will progress slowly. This form of cancer has no cure or promising treatment. All they can do is treat the symptoms and try to keep it from progressing rapidly. There is an option that would require a surgeon to remove his esophagus and replace it with part of his stomach, but this normally only prolongs the disease for a little while and makes it very difficult for the patient to eat.

It is kind of ironic that because of his bravery and selflessness, Tom is now facing possible death. He will now have to summon up those strengths of his that have gotten him through all the hard times in his life. He is going to have to be stronger and more determined than ever. He has an incredible motivation to defeat this evil enemy; his love for his family. Tom has shown throughout his life that it doesn't take a fancy costume, a cape, high-tech gadgets, or even superhuman powers to be a superhero. It just takes bravery, courage, selflessness, determination, sacrifice, moral character, and the love for fellow humans. Tom has been, and will always be, the best superhero of all time.

Learn more about this author, Tina Haskell.
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