On what would be son's 1st birthday, local mom is helping others

NORWOOD, Mass. — This Giving Tuesday, a Norwood family is finding a way to help others after losing their young son.

In his ten months on Earth, Thomas Jordan proved he was "Thomas Strong" and surpassed his parents and doctor's expectations.

"They continued to say this child is not supposed to be doing what he's doing and we cannot wait to see where he goes," said Amanda Jordan.

Thomas was born with a rare, congenital heart disease and spent much of his short life in the cardiac ward at Boston Children's Hospital.

"He had a significant stroke and we were told he would never walk, talk, smile and he would pretty much be close to a vegetable and we turned around and said, 'Nope, not our kid,'" said Jordan.

Thomas fought is way back and even began rehab, but this September Thomas went into cardiac arrest and passed away. Even as they grieved, the Jordans looked for something meaningful to come out of Thomas' death. They created the Thomas Strong Foundation to help other families affected by pediatric congenital heart disease.

Boston 25 News spoke via FaceTime to another mother the Jordans met on the cardiac ward who has been flying from Georgia for her son's heart treatment.

"There's so many things that being an outsider coming in you would have no idea," said Brittany Brown.
Jodan helped connect Brown with local resources and provided her with a shoulder to cry on.

"Just learning the ropes and learning the ins and outs of the hospital, she helped me with all of that, even when Thomas was still here," said Brown.

Tuesday, on what should have been Thomas' first birthday, the Jordans loaded up their car with new toys, clothes, and blankets and delivered them to the cardiac ward at Boston Children's. Everything was donated through word of mouth on Facebook.

On the incredibly sad day for the young parents, they tried to exemplify what it means to be Thomas Strong.

"Through trying times, no matter what everyone has going on in their lives, we can all come together," said Jordan.

The Jordans hope to be able to hold a toy drive every year on Thomas' birthday and hope to someday purchase a place for families to stay while they're receiving treatment at Boston Children's.

You can contact the Jordan family by emailing: Thomasstrongfoundation@gmail.com.

Cox Media Group