The Tom Tyne
Cancer Research Program

Family and friends share their memories

Tom Tyne lecture

To Tom, The Terrific

From Long Island
To Manhattan
From Rhode Island
To Saint Thomas

You take your own route,
You chart your own course,
Your are the Captain.
And Barbar, your mate.

A man for all seasons
A friend for the ages
An expert to many
A man at peace with himself

A lifestyle to envy
A style to admire
A person of mystery
A trend setter, globe trotter, traveler, adventurer

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You are eternally a kid,
You are forever the kidder
You make people smile
You make people think

So keep following your dreams,
And fuel them with your energy.
May you always have fun.
May you never stop playing


"In the end, your divine intervention through all of this ordeal made all the difference. You are so incredible, you never gave up, and continued to inspire me to prevail and keep fighting for my kids. I do not know how to thank you. I keep thinking to give back, to pay back all you have done for me - keeping me sane all these years, and never not being there for me. Perhaps I can take on a big brother roll, to some promising youngster as you have helped so many."

"Dr. Tom, you are TRULY one of the greatest, most considerate, beautiful person we have ever met. Always there for others as you move thru your difficult times."

"You there Tom? I honestly don't think we would have made it without all of your support, encouragement and the tools you provided. You once again saved my family, you are so caring - and won't give up on anyone - you are just amazing in how you help everyone."

"Goodbye Dr. Tyne - Goodbye my friend until I see you again. You were the grace that placed itself where the lives were torn apart. We'll miss the wings of your compassion more than you'll ever know. Memory is one gift of God that death cannot destroy."

"We believe Tom's greatest legacy is the work that he accomplished with all his patients and knowing that he was able to help them regain their confidence and overcome their challenges."

"You have fought your battle so hard. You have fought intellectually, You have fought physically. You have fought emotionally. We are so proud of your strength and courage and spirit. We are better people for having you in our lives. You have added a certain energy and spirit to our lives. Your never ending curiosity spurs something in others - to question why, how and how big: We look upon our time together fondly with smiles on our faces"

"I thank you for the depth in which you care about people and those close to you, taking the time to understand what drives them and to be there when needed. I admired the way you see life and it's many intricacies as evidenced by your choice of profession, the ability to balance a discussion on the challenges in life with the humor that is required to make this world a better place. I admire that sense ofhumor and vividly remember the many instances you made me laugh, whether it's a simple hand shake buzzer, a whoopy cushion of the latest email chain, and my attempts to match that wit with the simple desire to make you laugh with me. I am always proud of you as a person and to have you in my life. This pride comes to pass every time I share our story and your life with friends, most of whom you have never known. Often based on your sense of adventure and passion for life, a passion that inspires me as a mentor would, to live for the moment and always seek that next adventure, whether on a sailboat or on a kayak or to cross that Ironman finish line. I have admired your fight and courage as evident this past year, a courage that I have and will continue to lean on to never give up no matter what obstacles come my way."

"The best all of us can do for Tom (and ourselves) is insure that fear/sadness doesn't get in the way of the opportunity for good times and special moments."

Some people make a difference just by being who they are. Their inner light shines bright and toughes lives both near and far. And even when they're gone, they still forever play a part in the smiles and precious moments that are treasured in the heart.

The gift of Time we cherish, the gift of Life goes fast, the gift of Love will never end as long as Memories last.

There are those wholse lives death cannot diminish. Their love radiates forever in the hearts and friends and loved ones...and their light shines on the lives they've touched for so many years.

"You have fought your battle so hard. You have fought intellectually, You have fought physically. You have fought emotionally. We are so proud of your strength and courage and spirit. We are better people for having you in our lives. You have added a certain energy and spirit to our lives. Your never ending curiosity spurs something in others - to question why, how and how big: We look upon our time together fondly with smiles on our faces

"I thank you for the depth in which you care about people and those close to you, taking the time to understand what drives them and to be there when needed. I admired the way you see life and its many intricacies as evidenced by your choice of profession, the ability to balance a discussion on the challenges in life with the humor that is required to make this world a better place. I admire that sense of humor and vividly remember the many instances you made me laugh, whether it's a simple hand shake buzzer, a whoopy cushion or the latest email chain, and my attempts to match that wit with the simple desire to make you laugh with me. I am always proud of you as a person and to have you in my life. This pride comes to pass every time I share our story and your life with friends, most of whom you have never known. Often based on your sense of adventure and passion for life, a passion that inspires me as a mentor would, to live for the moment and always seek that next adventure, whether on a sailboat or on a kayak or to cross that Ironman finish line. I have admired your fight and courage as evident this past year, a courage that I have and will continue to lean on to never give up no matter what obstacles come my way."

"I wanted you to know that Uncle T was very special to me. Throughout my twenty years I had the privilege of spending my time with Uncle Tom joking around and talking about life lessons. As a kid he taught me that having a sense of humor is a very important aspect of life. Putting rubber snakes in Aunt Judy's bed or placing a fart machine under my Dad's seat was good fun and kept the family on their toes and joking around. Uncle Tom was also always there to help. I will never forget one Christmas Eve night when he told Brett and I that he had a method to help us fall asleep. After twenty minutes of talking to us while we laid on our parent's floor, we closed our eyes. He walked out thinking he had stopped our Christmas Eve anticipation and got us to fall asleep, but right when he walked out we opened our eyes and giggled, knowing nothing was was going to put us to sleep at that time with the thought of opening Santa's gifts around the corner. As I grew older he would sit me down and teach me life lessons that are still with me today. From giving me advice about golf, to introducing our family to KC and Sadie, and even staying with us in the stinky tent, he has always been there smiling and teaching. He will be missed and everyone he has known is blessed."

"The best all of us can do for Tom (and ourselves) is insure that fear/sadness doesn't get in the way of the opportunity for good times and special moments."

"In the end, your divine intervention through this ordeal made all the difference. You are so incredible, you never gave up, and continued to inspire me to prevail and keep fighting for my kids. I do not know how to thank you. I keep thinking to give back, to pay back all you have done for me - keeping me sane all these years, and never not being there for me. Perhaps I can take on a big brother roll, to some promising youngster as you have helped so many."

"Dr. Tom, you are TRULY one of the greatest, most considerate, beautiful persons we have ever met. Always there for others as you move thru your difficult times."

"You there Tom? I honestly don't think we would have made it without all of your support, encouragement and the tools you provided. You once again saved my family, you are so caring - and won't give up on anyone - you are just amazing in how you help everyone."

"Goodbye Dr. Tyne - Goodbye my friend until I see you again. You were the grace that placed itself where the lives were torn apart. We'll miss the wings of your compassion more than you'll ever know. Memory is one gift of God that death cannot destroy"

"We believe Tom's greatest legacy is the work that he accomplished with all his patients and knowing that he was able to help them regain their confidence and overcome their challenges"

Some people make a difference just by being who they are. Their inner light shines bright and touches lives both near and far. And even when they're gone, they still forever play a part in the smiles and precious moments that are treasured in the heart.

The gift of Time we cherish, the gift of Life goes fast, the gift of Love will never end as long as Memories last.

There are those whose lives death cannot diminish. Their love radiates forever in the hearts and friends and loved ones...and their light shines on the lives they've touched for so many years.

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." Gilda Radner


Tom,

I had hoped to visit with you in these last few days but Hurricane Earl had its way. I have asked my mom to read this to you.

As I started to right this, I realized how lucky I am to have known someone who this is so hard to write to, and unlucky I am to not have the gift of writing that I have always admired you (and my mom) for.

Above all, your presence has made a difference in my life.

I can never express enough the appreciation I have for you and your family for the acceptance and kindness you provided my mother from the very beginning and for that same treatment extended to my entire family. I have never felt anything but the bond of being your nephew regardless of the natural laws of lineage.

I thank you for the depth in which you care about people and those close to you, taking the time to understand what drives them and to be there when needed. In my case, whether it is the words of wisdom you provided in dealing with my relationship ending a few years back or simply just wanting to know how that last race went, you always care. You always left an open invitation to visit or to just simply chat.

I admired the way you see life and its many intricacies as evidence by your choice of profession, the ability to balance a discussion on the challenges in life with the humor that is required to make this world a better place. I admire that sense of humor and vividly remember the many instances you made me laugh, whether it's a simple hand shake buzzer, a whoopy cushion or the latest email chain, and my attempts to match that wit with the simple desire to make you laugh with me.

I am always proud of you as person and to have Barbara and you in my life. This pride comes to pass every time I share our story and your life with my friends and acquaintances most of whom you have never known. Often based on your sense of adventure and passion for life, a passion that inspires me as a mentor would, to live for the moment and always seek that next adventure, whether on a sailboat or on a kayak or to cross that Ironman finish line. Like everyone in my family, you have been a mentor for me and those lessons I learned will remain with me.

I have admired your fight and courage as evident this past year, a courage that I have and will continue to lean on to never give up no matter what obstacles come my way, whether it is the 25th mile of the Ironman run or a simply a bad day at work.

I love you Tom, and while I will miss your presence, I know that wherever we are, you'll always be in my heart.

Goodbye for now.

Michael Murray



SPECIAL THANKS

To all of you who came from very far away,
To all of you who helped so much to make this a very special day of memories,
To all of you who attended today, I am so grateful for your presence.



"The agony is great and yet I will stand it. Had I not loved so very much, I would not hurt so much. But goodness knows I would not want to diminish the precious love by one fraction. I will hurt and I will be grateful for it. For it bears witness to the depth of our meanings and for that I will be eternally grateful"



To post your own tribute about Tom here, please email us at ICANCancerPrograms@askican.org and we will post it within 24 hours. Please include your phone number.

The Tom Tyne Cancer Research Program
is a vital part of ICAN's Cancer Patient Advocacy and Clinical Trials Program Advocacy Services.

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