About 7 years ago, I met the love of my life, a gentle, wonderful man, whose passion was the practice of dentistry. I admit I found it hard to understand how he could love it. To me, the thought of working inside people’s mouths each day could hardly be enjoyable. Yet, Tom spent his spare time watching webinars, learning, and teaching–constantly improving his knowledge and skills. He called every patient personally after difficult procedures, and he lived for the practice he created. During COVID, he put his own health at risk to treat people in need.
Sadly, Tom was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, and even during his grueling treatment, he continued to see his patients. He was in short, the kindest man I’d ever known.
Tom and I had a shared love of dolphins. I knew it was a sign when I first met him and found out he had a painting of dolphins above his bed. We had dolphin Christmas ornaments and dolphin sculptures. He gave me a heart necklace, shaped by two dolphins, which I treasure. When it became clear he was not going to make it, he told me he would send me dolphins from the other side. (And he DID!)
Even though I saw it every day, I was still in shock at his funeral, when patients lined up for hours and told me how kind he was, how they had been patients for 30+ years…one after another…telling me what he meant to them and their families. It was truly above and beyond the normal condolences.
Inspired by everything he stood for, I created The Dolphin Dentist, about a kind dentist whose dedication to his patients made him overcome his greatest fear. This book is close to my heart, and a tribute to that wonderful man. My only regret is that I had such a short time with him—and that he didn’t get to see The Dolphin Dentist—now read by thousands. And so… his legacy of kindness lives on.
We'd like to hear from you!