Who was Tommy Lanier?

Knowing Tommy was to know pure kindness. He was filled with humility, considerate of others, and unwavering in the face of enormous adversity. Tommy was, quite simply, one of the finest people to grace this Earth. It was a privilege to know him and his life will continue to be an inspiration to us all.

Tommy was born in Atlanta, GA to Thomas Howell and Mary Yellowlees Lanier on April 26, 1996. Tommy graduated from The Lovett School with honors in the class of 2014 and went on to attend Vanderbilt University. He was a proud Commodore and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Though he was an excellent student, Tommy's heart belonged to the outdoors and his friends. Nothing made him happier than time spent with friends doing the things he loved. He was an exceptional golfer and an avid sportsman. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, as well as snow skiing and water sports at his beloved Lake Rabun. In his short life, Tommy saw a lot of the world on his many Moondance trips. From backpacking in the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains to hiking in the Swiss Alps, Tommy was always ready for an adventure. When not on the move, he was most content sitting with friends on the side porch of the SAE house listening to country music or enjoying the cabin at the farm.

The Diagnosis

The summer before his senior year of high school, Tommy’s dad noticed an angry looking mole on his back. The Dermatologist took a biopsy of the suspicious mole and discovered it was Melanoma, which had already spread to the lymph nodes (stage 3). Through surgery, the doctors removed all the cancer and he entered into remission.

Three years later, while a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, Tommy’s friends found him in his dorm room unresponsive. They rushed him to the hospital where he underwent and survived brain surgery that had a 10% survival rate. A cranial CT scan showed his melanoma had not only come back but spread rapidly to the brain. The scans did not catch it for, normally, melanoma spreads to the lungs prior to the brain, but not for his case.

From April 2016 to September 2017, Tommy fought for his life with courage, and strength. Between the growth of more brain tumors and occasional brain bleeds, Tommy received excellent care and rehabilitation for brain injury from Shepherd Center and cancer treatments from Emory Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta, GA, while also receiving consultations from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Throughout treatments, cognitive rehabilitation sessions, and incredibly challenging moments, Tommy maintained a selfless, hopeful and wholehearted demeanor. By September 2017, after trying every form of treatment, Tommy was moved to in-home hospice. He died peacefully with a house full of friends and family.

He is survived by his parents and adoring sister Mary Hamilton (May May) Lanier. He is also survived by his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends.

We are grateful to have known such an incredible person, and will never stop learning from his unwavering love and joy in the face of extreme hardship.