Meet Tom Carver

Tom Carver was born on April 3, 1991. At the age of 21, he was a semi-professional body builder and rugby player, both in the UK and Lanzarote. But on January 16, 2013, Tom's world - and that of his family - was turned completely upside down. 

Tom had been feeling ill and had had a cough when he went to bed. The next morning, Tom's mother found him unconscious, and he was rushed to the nearest hospital ICU unit. The diagnosis was grim: Tom had acquired sepsis from an undiagnosed pneumonia infection and had lapsed into a coma. All Tom's main organs were failing, and he had a hypoxic brain injury. Tom's parents were told that he would never talk or walk again - if he even survived. A fighter his whole life, Tom DID survive this traumatic brain event. After coming out of the coma, he spent twenty months in the UK for specialized brain therapy, beginning the long road back to functioning that continues to this day.

Over the past ten years, Tom has recovered some of his speech and bodily movements, though he is confined to a wheelchair. Amazingly, Tom has near-full recall of his life before his illness. Still a fighter, Tom has never given up hope of being able to talk and walk again. At his darkest moments, Tom has turned to music for comfort. His favorite signer is Ed Sheeran, and Ed's music has pulled him through his struggles. Tom also found that when he sings Ed Sheeran's songs, he does not stutter - just like his musical idol.  

On September 9, 2023, the charity Connecting Hearts sponsored an event to help raise funds for an orphanage in Kenya. An island favorite, Tom sang "Perfect" at the event, one of his favorite Ed Sheeran songs. Connecting Hearts live-streamed the event which included a video conference with the orphanage. The event raised more than 3,000 euros/$3,300 for the orphanage, as well as to defray the costs of a desperately-needed new wheelchair and additional specialized therapies for Tom.