ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition 2022 Exhibited Thomas M. Walsh’s “When Hope Overcame the Impossible”

Publisher | Total Media and Publishing

Book retail price | $14.95

Author Bio

Tom Walsh, author of the new release “When Hope Overcame the Impossible,” grew up in north central Kansas in a small farming community named Concordia. He was the oldest of seven boys and one year younger than his sister Margie. At age fifteen, Tom’s parents moved their large family of eight kids to Denver, Colorado, searching for more opportunities for their children. After graduating high school, Tom attended college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he met his wife, Dacia. Deciding to plant their roots in the western suburbs of Tulsa, Tom began his career teaching Spanish to junior high school-age students. It would be only six years later when he transitioned to the elementary school principal, where he would spend the remainder of his thirty-year career.

Tom retired after three decades in public education in the year 2020. It was also the time our country was thrust into the COVID-19 pandemic. Since his immediate retirement plans were delayed, Tom began writing about his oldest son Isaac’s health story to spread awareness of pediatric cancer.

Tom frequently volunteers at El Shalom Children’s Orphanage and Brenner School in Santiago Texacuangos, El Salvador. Relishing the opportunity to return to the classroom, Tom reconnects with his past by being a volunteer teacher to those less fortunate than him. He plans twice-annual trips to see the orphan children who have referred to him as their “padrino.” (Spanish for godfather)

Tom is an accomplished speaker who has spoken at numerous fundraising events, including St. Jude 2012 Fortune 500 CEO Summit in New York City and the St. Jude Board of Directors Meeting. During his time at St. Jude, he gave numerous interviews to various media outlets and allowed his son’s story to be used in marketing materials for fundraising purposes. In addition, Tom has spoken at several education-related symposiums and retreats during his long tenure as a school leader.

Currently, Tom and his wife Dacia reside in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Dacia, having retired from public education in 2018, now works as a relationship banker at a local bank. Tom is currently pursuing his dream to bring hope to the brokenhearted and healing to those whose lives have been upended by the permanent scars of pediatric cancer. For Tom, there is no more incredible honor than saving a child’s life. In a small way, Tom hopes that sharing his family’s struggle will further the research to find a cure for this horrible disease.