A unique child
From the minute Tomm was born in 1993, the family knew he would be special.
But when he was born, the boy’s parents had no idea that he would become a medical riddle. Ultrasounds, however, indicated that something is wrong with him.
When Tomm’s parents first discovered about the child, they weren’t sure if they should keep him.
“We kind of discussed this between us and we decided what’s meant to be is meant to be and we went through with it,” Tommy’s father, Geoff Tennent, said.
Despite all of the tests and evaluations, they were unable to grasp the gravity of Tomm’s condition. His parents said that they were surprised when they first met him.
Debbie Tennent was shocked when her kid was placed on her in the delivery room.
Her heart was pounding, even though it felt pleasant to lift him up and hold him.
Experts in medicine were unable to diagnose the boy’s illness. They couldn’t figure out what was producing the additional skin, and there was no cure or treatment available. At first, they believed he would learn to fit into his skin as he grew older.
But Tomm was so unique that researchers decided to spend time and money trying to figure out what was wrong with him.
For a total of two and a half months, Tomm alternated between tests and analysis. Since he was the first baby to be born with so much additional skin, it was challenging to determine the underlying cause of his condition.
For the Tennent family, it was challenging to go from test to test. Even while no parent wants to subject their newborn to ongoing testing after delivery, they recognized that doing so was in the child’s best interest as well as the benefit of other families who could have the same problem in the future.
They made sure Tomm felt the same way the other children did.
When medical professionals had tried everything to figure out what was wrong with Tomm, they had finally found something unexpected. When Tomm’s similarity to the Shar Pei dog breed was noticed, it had some unexpected outcomes.
Tomm and Shar Pei puppies have 100 times the normal amount of hyaluronic acid in their skin, according to studies.
As Shar Pei puppies mature, their skin appears normal due to a drop in hyaluronic acid levels. Doctors prayed and hoped that Tomm was one of such individuals.
Tomm’s doctor, Dr. Andrew Ramsden, said that as he grew older, the sickness will probably go away. Thankfully, he was right.
Tomm had a lot of challenges growing up, especially when he started school. A few children made fun of him and wouldn’t let him play. But Tomm wasn’t put off by his uniqueness.
Tomm integrated himself fully into his school and made friends fast. His appearance was strange, but not nearly as bad as it had been at birth.
In 2003, they asked Tomm if he was worried about how his friends saw him. Tomm answered, “Not really… since they are my friends and they don’t really care how I look.”
Furthermore, Tomm told 60 Minutes that when he looked in the mirror, he saw “a kind loving person.”
“Sometimes people tell me I look cool, really cool sometimes, and other times they say nothing at all.”
Tomm’s parents were immensely proud of their special boy and the man he turned out to be.
“He’s a good boy,” yet all he has achieved is what his father said: “He is doing well in everything, including school.”
His parents have always made sure that he will develop into a regular child and that having too much skin will not take away from inner attractiveness.
Present-day Tomm Tennent
28 years ago was the birth year of the peculiar boy that amazed doctors. People were interested in Tomm’s current look after hundreds of testing and multiple films.
Despite his lack of social media activity, Tomm appears to be contentedly wedded to Hannah, his wife, and their love. It seems that they live in Victoria, Australia’s Frankston, a suburb of Melbourne.Life is simple. “You make choices, and you don’t look back,” is a quote from Tomm’s Facebook page that encapsulates his entire outlook on life.
It’s comforting to see Tomm still sporting that wonderful smile from twenty years ago.
Tomm’s story is incredibly inspiring! I am so delighted to see that despite all of his shortcomings as a child, he grew up to be a happy and fulfilled adult.
When they asked him what feature of himself he would change, he said, “Probably nothing.” That’s the way it should be for all of us, don’t you think?
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