Tombol

I’m so grateful for this forum to read and share stories about Tombol…to celebrate and venerate Tombol. It inspires me everyday; reading about how wonderful he was and how there were so many others who got to experience that.

I remember Tombol always appreciated what was different about me…he appreciated the idiosyncrasies/ quirks in people…their true selves... Not the facade/image of perfection people seem to need to display. Tombol appreciated “the individuality” of each individual. He would seek out what special thing each person had to offer…despite their faults. Most people don’t have that patience. But I think he needed to see the good in people.

If someone was in a bad mood, Tombol would take it upon himself to cheer the person up…whether that meant he would look like a complete idiot in the process. That didn’t matter. I remember laying my entire depressing story on the table the first day I met him and him not backing down. That wasn’t enough to scare him away. I think it actually endeared him to me, that I wasn’t afraid to appear human.

Whenever I meet someone new I google them, in an attempt to see what they've accomplished, or at least what the world has to acknowledge. I remember a few years ago I didn't find anything about Tombol. But I knew that someday that would change. He just had so much to say and could say it so well. He had a way of expressing himself that forced you to listen, maybe precisely because Tombol never forced it on you.

I've googled Tombol everyday for the past week. And what I've found now is what saddens me the most: His legacy (at least for the world who didn't ever meet him) is overshadowed by this tragedy. Now he’s the “Tragic UIC Student Who was……..” He had so much more to offer the world than being a victim. He'll never get the chance to bring his magnanimous dreams to fruition. He'll never get a chance to save the world...all the things I (genuinely) believe in time he would have done.

Tina P.