Thomas Maher

Thomas grew up in Oxford, Michigan, in a close, blue-collar family shaped by hard work, service, faith, and the outdoors. Both of his grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II, and his father served in the Army in Vietnam. Those examples, along with experiencing 9/11 while he was in high school, helped inspire Thomas to a career of service as a police officer, firefighter, and Medical First Responder for the City of Kalamazoo.

Thomas and his wife, Jacqui, are high school sweethearts and have been married for 18 years. Jacqui serves their community as a nurse, and together they have three children, James, 17, Natalie, 15, and Jacob, 13, plus their golden retriever, Chloe. Much of their time is spent outdoors or cheering on their children at baseball, cross country, and wrestling.

On July 9, 2022, Thomas’s life changed when he was struck by a drunk driver while riding his Harley-Davidson to work. The crash caused a complete T6 spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down and using a wheelchair full time.

The transition has brought chronic pain, medical challenges, depression, and a dramatic loss of independence. Thomas credits his faith, family, friends, church community, and the support of several nonprofit organizations with helping him move forward. Today, he also gives back by mentoring newly injured individuals, connecting families with resources, speaking at churches, and volunteering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Thomas has always loved hunting and the outdoors, and he has worked hard to find ways to continue doing the things that bring him joy. The water has become especially important.

Thomas swims regularly at his local YMCA and says being in the water is one of the few times he feels like his old self again, free from the wheelchair. He was first certified to scuba dive as a teenager through Divers Den in Lake Orion, Michigan, with encouragement from his father. Although he has not dived in many years, the opportunity to return to scuba through Dive Pirates Foundation represents a new kind of freedom.

Thomas is excited to experience the underwater world again, see marine life, and maybe even learn to hunt lobster. Just as importantly, he will be sharing the experience with Jacqui, his best friend.

Keep Moving Forward

Being selected by Dive Pirates Foundation has given Thomas an opportunity he once believed might be out of reach. He hopes his return to diving will show his children and others facing life-changing challenges that perseverance does not mean pretending things are easy. It means continuing to search for joy, facing fears, trying new things, and refusing to believe that the hardest thing that has happened to you gets to determine everything that comes next.

Thomas’s father, who first helped him become a diver as a teenager, will be among those most excited to see him back underwater. So will his youngest son, Jacob, who loves watching his dad take on something new.

For Thomas and Jacqui, this chapter is ultimately about something increasingly precious: time together. After the accident, they came to understand in a very different way that time and experiences cannot be replaced. Their dreams now include traveling, exploring the world together, watching their children grow, and hopefully one day seeing them start families of their own.

Their message is simple: Never give up. When life gets tough and you feel stuck, keep moving forward. Find your why. Find your joy. Try the things that scare you. Say yes more than no. Be grateful for what you have and for the people who walk beside you.

As Thomas puts it, there are some fantastic human beings in this world. Be one of them.

Donate today and be a part of Thomas’s incredible journey!