All of us in the DOC, and here at Type1Rider, are completely overcome with sadness with the news of the sudden passing of our dear friend Thomas Moore.
Thomas was the glue of our organizations - T1R, The Blue Heel Society, The Diabetes Monster, and Life Inside the Blue Circle. The small, talented, dedicated group that works on those entities are reeling from this loss.
Thomas was a very unique individual. He understood how powerful grassroot movements could be, and knew how to extend the reach of a cause through hard work, dedication, and relationship building. I believe, outside of his dedication to his family, his biggest strength was to be able to find a benefit for two completely different parties working together.
He was the king of fostering those relationships into long lasting and boulder moving forces.
Thomas also believed in helping, in anyway, grand or small, everyone he contacted affected by Diabetes. If you look at Facebook today, you will seen countless Diabetes organizations singing his praises, and mourning his lost.
Thomas Moore was the true essence of the DOC. Not just a major component of it, but a foundation cornerstone placed at its root levels.
He was a crusader for the little group with big dreams.
He was always a voice that could be heard, although he spoke softly.
He was a leader of of the DOC, and all that it represents.
Thomas was part of our family.
He loved his own family very much, and most of the time, especially lately, our communications where about what they were doing and he enjoyed the times he had with them. Even when things were difficult, he always found a way to accentuate the positive of being with and around them.
We all offer our condolences to Thomas' family and loved ones for their loss.
On a personal note, it wasn't long after Type1Rider came online that Thomas and I met via the interwebs. Thomas took my little fledgling idea and built it into something meaningful using the skills only he possessed.
It didn't take long before he has arranged meetings with sponsors, taught me how to use social media to everyone's advantage, and brought a fresh emphasis on what was indeed possible by a single diabetic on a bicycle.
Thomas believed, more than anyone I think, and definitely more then I, in the work we did attacking Tour Divide. All of the behind the scenes work - the countless interviews, speaking engagements, posts, social media entries - where all the hard work of Thomas Moore.
I never took the time, after all was said and done, to truly and appropriately thank him in an appropriate way for all of that. I'm not even sure that I ever could.
Not that he needed or cared about that... he was just forwarding the cause for every diabetic.... He did not need, nor search out, accolades or acknowledgement.
Thomas was the man behind the scene. Working for the common good for all of us.
The Diabletes Online Community has lost a true super hero, a tremendously dedicated man, and, most assuredly, one of its brightest blue candles.
RIP in my dear friend.
From myself, and the other 28 millions of folks in the US with diabetes....
Thank you for everything.
Thank you Thomas.
#GumbyDammit
