During his college years, Tommy began to struggle with bi-polar symptoms, severe depression, and anxiety. He fell into a depression that drove him to suicidal thoughts and he began self-medicating to deal with the mounting pressures and mental/emotional illness. Tommy stopped attending classes,  rarely left his room for weeks and left Tech to attend Boise State University in Idaho.  Tommy was misdiagnosed and began a series of anti-depressants and sleeping pills that further complicated his illness.

Tommy found shelter in his art, poetry, and music so he left Boise to pursue a career as an artist. He felt the disappointment of his family, friends, and community in that he didn’t pursue a professional football carrier. This weighed heavy on Tommy’s heart and mind and added to the already debilitating depression that he was entrenched in. His self-medicating turned into the abuse of alcohol and drugs to try to cope with the mental/ emotional illness that had slowly eroded his sense of self-confidence and self-worth.