Osai Spotlight: Thomas Keery

Full Name: Thomas Landon Keery
Birthday: January 22, 1976
Nationality: Kiillaanian
Birth City: Tovre, Toshanna
Bloodline: Sorela
Current City: Darkenshire, Toshanna
Title: Caregiver

Fast Facts:

• Thomas is the son of Lionel Keery and Alana King, and right in the middle of 7 children. His siblings are Daniel Keery (1969), Jessica Sotoson (1971), Michael Keery (1974), Alvin Keery (1978), Joanne Hill (1982), and Mary Roh (1982).
• He was born in the far southwest city of Tovre but the family moved several times throughout that general area before finally settling in the highly rancher town of Esero, Rikitonia.
• Thomas loved to go to friends' houses and would play for hours. He never spent the night anywhere but dinner parties were among his favorites. One thing that his family found interesting was that he preferred to stay up late and talk to the older generation rather than play games with the youth.
• His love for working with people emerged very early on and he could be found on the playground talking to the more different kids, making them feel special.
• He has always seen a particular image of his future family, including a multicultural family built by adoption.
• He was often found up late, way past bedtime, but efforts to get him to go to bed did not work. More often than not he could be found in his room reading a book. When his parents turned off the lights he would continue on reading, even in the total darkness. They found this quite odd but really thought nothing of it.
• He kept his visions to himself for the most part, assuming that everyone could see things with the crystal clarity that he did. He also thought that everyone could see in darkness and was always puzzled that his siblings were afraid of the dark.
• One day he ran into the living room and began talking about an event that was about to happen, but in a way that made it seem like they all knew about it. They looked at him in amazement and after the event happened they realized that there was no way he would have known that his sister Joanne had gotten out into the yard and was in danger. She was saved and her life fully spared, and his family all convinced that there was something more going on. They took this story to the local Aikada who met with them and called forth the mark of Osai, which shone as bright as ever. Thomas was just 9 years old and became somewhat of a celebrity in his small town.
• Almost immediately after his powerful gift was made known he went up north to meet with Dr. Sorela and Midnight Fastbird, the closest Osanokai to him at the time. They all had Osai Naori through Sorela blood and therefore shared a special bond. Thomas learned a lot at this special meeting and the reunions that would follow for years. He was inspired to use his compassionate side for good and from Midnight he chose his profession to be a caregiver.
• In high school he began working for a care facility and was exposed firsthand to the wonderful joys that come from international adoption. He would later also work at an adoption agency and decided to pursue that noble cause.
  
• He graduated from high school in 1994 with his lovely girlfriend, Patricia Reslan, at his side. He then moved to the city of Darkenshire where he studied nursing and continued to work at an adoption agency, eventually becoming a spokesman for the Landon Foundation, which he joined in 1995. His work, along with the work of his girlfriend and many others who were just as dedicated, helped to open up the small country of Jangen open up for international adoption.
• Thomas and Patricia were married in 1996 and spent two years living in Taigana acting as ambassadors for the Landon Foundation. However their efforts soon turned back to Jangen and moved there, working in the newly established adoption office from 1999 through 2001. He continued to work for the Landon Foundation until late 2005 when Osai led him away from that position and into the world of high risk nursing care.
• They had 3 of their 8 biological children while living in Jangen- Avery (1999), Jacob (2001), and Sheldon (2001). When Jangen opened its doors for international adoption in 2000 they adopted Brandon (1999) and Jeanette (2000). After they moved back to Darkenshire in 2001 they had the rest of their biological children- Samantha (2002), Ashley (2004), Jason (2005), Andrew (2007), and Mariela (2009). They further adopted 3 more children- Haven (2005)[adopted in 2006 from Taigana], Lizette (2002)[adopted in 2007 from Taigana], and Angela (1993)[adopted in 2008 from Jangen].
• Thomas is only 17 years older than Angela, who is by far the oldest but been with them the shortest. She lived her life in the drab confines of a crib and was very tiny and near death. With the love of Thomas and his family she has completely changed in just 3 years. He says she is one of the most precious souls he has ever gotten to care for.
• In 2005 Thomas retired from his position with the Landon Foundation to pursue a career as a caregiver in a mental hospital. He still works closely with the Landon Foundation and his wife remains there to this day.
• Since 2007 he has worked at Southridge Care Facility, a group home for the most advanced, forgotten, and ill people, destroyed and on their last years of life from rare terminal genetic illnesses of both mind and body. Thomas is in charge of 2 of the 20 patients and generally works every night and a couple of days a week.
• He has a special way with his patients and even if they do not seem to respond on the outside he still treats them as if they hear every word, giving them dignity and respect. He loves to read and often will read aloud to his patients. He also enjoys describing what is going on outside and sharing stories from his own youth. With the help of Osai he is able to know a lot of the things that are otherwise a mystery and is able to connect with them on a much deeper level.
• He is famous in the Osanokai world for not having the typical dark features like the furrowed brow and etched frown that the other men have. His eyes are slightly dark but not deep or shadowed and he is not an introvert at all. He has been affectionately dubbed the "Light Man of Osai."
• He is always there to get his children ready for the day each morning.
• He often takes Angela to work with him on his short day shifts and then spends the afternoon before everyone gets home from school being with her.

A Short Description

He enters the room where Rick spent his days and found him exactly as he had left him. He was propped up against some pillows, his body rigidly fixed with his knees drawn to his chest and his arms raised as if he were about to escape but had been turned to stone. He had been like this for a couple days now, ever since he received his evening meal that day. His eyes were tightly shut, in fact, Thomas had never seen his eyes. He did not utter a single word and was as silent as the bed itself.

As Thomas walked in, with his charming Rikitonian drawl that he had never lost, he smiled and said, "Good morning Rick! It's a beautiful day outside! I see lots of green leaves forming on the trees and the old winter getting swept away by spring! Oh and over there! There's some spring birds flying by!" He went on describing what he saw, the whole time with Rick's stiff hand in his. Thomas had a look of compassion that made his eyes almost sparkle, for it was so pure. He continued to tell stories and describe the surroundings as he changed Rick's clothes and bedding and then got him hooked up to the machine that would pump a special formula into his stomach, for Rick had quit eating and been unable to eat for years now.

The whole time, he did this gently and with respect. Even though Rick seemed to be completely oblivious to the outside world and Thomas often wondered what scraps of mentality were going on in his head, he knew for a fact that he was aware of a great more than he could ever possibly let on, and Thomas set out to give him the same dignity as anyone. When he was finished with all of those things he sat down with a book and began to read aloud from its pages until the feeding pump had finished and it was time to administer Rick's nightly medication so that he would sleep.

Thomas is well known at the care center. His bright face always had a smile and he was often nicknamed "Thomas Cheery." Even when Rick had a rare outburst of nonspecific violence and Thomas had to use his gift to predict what he would do and dodge his swinging arms he did so with all the patience and understanding in the world until he stopped and Thomas could carry on. He looked way younger than 35. His black hair was cut short and his bangs stood up from his forehead. His blue eyes were bright and he had a wide smile with a very wide gap between his front teeth- another thing that made him unique and easily recognizable. His voice was that of a loving father with an adorable Rikitonian drawl that further identified him. He looked like a college man who had been plucked from class and taken a few years ahead and placed in his line of work.

As he finished his night shift, a few hours later, he gave everyone a hug or a handshake, saying individual goodbyes before heading out to his car where he would be home in 10 minutes, right at 6:45 this day, just in time to see his children off for school.