The T.I.P.P.E.R. Foundation, Inc is named after William “Tipper” Thomas. On May 7, 2004 Tipper was an innocent bystander waiting in front of his high school for a ride to work after a charity basketball game at Randallstown High School in Randallstown, Maryland.

Shots rang out! In the attempt to escape, a young girl fell down directly in front of Tipper. He ran over to bring her to safety when he was severely wounded. He was shot in the back of the neck and in the upper region of his spine paralyzing him. He was transported by Medivac to the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore, Maryland.

As a result of this tragic event, Tipper’s mother, Peggie Henderson, needed to be at her son’s bedside on a constant basis so that she could love, nurture and support him. She also wanted to ensure that he was receiving the best care and treatment possible and as such, she felt it necessary to be with him throughout his recovery and rehabilitation period until he was clinically ready to be discharged from inpatient medical care.

It was soon realized that throughout this traumatic experience that the hospital staff did not have the staff available to administer care to patients constantly on a one-on-one basis even for an excellent trauma center as the Shock Trauma Center. For example, at one point, Tipper’s temperature elevated drastically, and he went into convulsions. Since a nurse was not immediately available, Peggie administered ice therapy by putting ice packs under his arm pits and in his groin area. His temperature came down as a result of her intervention.

Tipper notes that he contributes his success today as a result of his loved ones being there for me. He remembers seeing his mother’s face when he opened his eyes and feeling her wiping the sweat from his brow. “The prayers, the love and my mother’s presence meant everything to me,” says Tipper.

Through this experience, Tipper, Peggie and others realized that most families do not have the financial means to be able to sit by their loved ones’ bedside for weeks and months on end. They have jobs to go to, bills to pay and other children and family to attend to. It is often impossible to provide the companionship that the sick or injured family member desperately needs to make it through. Alternatively, those who choose to stay with their loved ones often lose jobs or get behind on their bills, and face serious consequences. The idea was spawned to create a foundation that will allow and assist families to be at the bedside of family members who have encountered a traumatic experience.

The T.I.P.P.E.R. acronym also stands for Traumatic Inpatient Parent Provider Emergency Reserve.