As many know and love, Tommy Shine is a local Wentzville fire captain who has a film written on his selfless and courageous spirit called “Breakthrough.” That film was based on the experience when he saved three teenage boys who fell through a frozen ice in a lake in 2015.
On Oct. 17, Tommy faced yet another crucially rare experience. He fell from a ladder and ended up finding a bulge in the wall of his body’s main artery, called the aorta. This is a medical condition called aortic aneurysm. This was shocking to him and his family.
Tommy had to go into surgery about two months later on Dec. 18. Later that evening, he went into arrest. Tommy is a father of five beautiful children who all depend on him in many different ways.
“He’s the center and the whole heart of our family. He’s my business partner. He’s our hero. Nothing about this is even remotely comfortable for our family,” Tommy’s wife, Brittany Shine said.
The last two months have been difficult for the Shine family, but while there’ve been many setbacks, Tommy has been extra strong.
On Jan. 3, his family got devastating news. The doctor said he would never be able to speak or comprehend and would likely never walk or have any strength in his upper body, along with a low functioning brain capacity.
Two nights later Tommy’s wife, Brittany, explains how she ”laid my head on his stomach the entire night holding and talking to him” and as this was occurring she goes into detail on how he kept his eyes open that whole night.
“I knew he had something to say,” Brittany said. Three days later, moments before the nurses and doctors were preparing Tommy to be removed from his comfort care, a miracle happened. Tommy began speaking. The doctors were amazed and believed Tommy needed postponement to discern how much brain function he actually has.
Days after Tommy continued growing more. He was taking labs again, feeding again and having more testing. While his road to recovery has been far from simple, he’s been extremely strong and has had such a loving family to help him every step through.
The community has also been trying to give back to Tommy, after all he’s done for us by hosting fundraisers such as Stefanina’s Pizza in Wentzville. They will be collecting donations Monday Jan. 20 from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and donating percentages of money when people order pizza or toasted ravioli.
On Jan. 31, 4061 Beauty Haus is also hosting a “Tox For Tommy” which is botox injections for $7/unit tox, injected by LG Aesthetics. The event will be held at 4061 Beauty Haus, with all proceeds getting donated to the Shine family. There is also “T.Shine” merchandise available, including shirts, sweatshirts and bracelets out now to support Tommy and show some love.
Tommy’s wife, Brittany also created a community prayer shared across Facebook which she and her family pray each night and welcomed everyone to pray it as well. Many homes across the county have also been stringing red lights upon their homes for awareness of Tommy Shine. It’s truly comforting to know that Tommy has an amazing support system and to know God is with him always.
Tayla Payne | Jan 27, 2025 at 11:34 pm
God bless Tommy & his family. By the great grace of our Lord and Savior, Tommy will be restored back to his family. Thank you Tommy for your tremendously courageous actions. Prayer is stronger when we pray together! Also, the author of this article, Kyelyn Carrara, is such a beautiful example of the Lord’s child. Her words are written beautifully in this article. Keep up the amazing work!!!!