Eric Tomei

Eric Tomei is a physical therapist residing in the metro Detroit area. He has a B.A. in Psychology, a B.S. in Health Sciences and a masters degree in physical therapy from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. I Miss My Dad…is his first book with the hopes of uniting everyone who has lost a Dad or loved one to share their stories. His mission is to let people know that they are not alone in dealing with the loss of a loved one and you will always have a friend to talk to. He has a passion for charity work as 15% of each book sold will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. His goal is to raise $1 million for this charity through donations and the sale of I Miss My Dad… Eric appeared on the radio show Healing the Grieving Heart with hosts Dr. Gloria & Dr. Heidi Horsley, to discuss Father’s Day Without a Father. To listen to this show, go to the following link: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/39135/fathers-day-without-a-father-and-finding-success-in-your-life

Articles:

Father’s Day Eve…

Ok, so obviously this isn’t a real holiday, but it is to me. This made up holiday, is the day before my toughest day of the year, Father’s Day. It is the one day of the year where I feel really different from everybody else, and only a few people in my life can truly understand what I am really going through. They say, through time that the loss gets easier which is true to a point. You never forget it though. A little part of you wants to celebrate what everybody else does, but […]

A Different (But Good) Father’s Day

Father’s Day is the day that I least look forward to on the calendar. I know what you’re saying, “Come on Eric, Father’s Day is 4 months away.” Absolutely right, but bear with me. As all of you know you have lost a loved one close to your heart, it could be a birthday, anniversary or any other special day that triggers the memories of that particular individual in both a good way (remembering the past), and bad way (no more memories to create for the future.) Father’s Day just happens to be my day. My […]

Remembering Super Bowl Sundays With Dad

I am a huge sports nut. I love just about every sport, and growing up I tried everything except hockey. So I was ready to watch the recent Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. I remember that the Super Bowl was one game that my dad would sit and watch. He wouldn’t say much, but almost always watchedtogether. I don’t really think that he cared who won. But watching a game together still ranks as one of the fond memories of him. For that one day, I felt like my dad was my buddy, a friend. I hated […]

Dad’s Legacy: A Lesson About Giving

One of the great things that my dad taught me is that it is always better to give than receive, that to give unconditionally brings true happiness in life.That lesson has stuck with me. I volunteer for a charity here in Metro Detroit called Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids (http://www.forthekidsfoundation.org). It assists families who have lost a parent with anything from grief counseling to bill-paying It touched my heart that there are so many families struggling. I was called the week before Christmas by Kristin, one of the dedicated Yatooma workers. She needed someone to be a shopper for 1-3 families in the […]

A Moment of Perspective…

Sometimes, it’s hard to put things into perspective becuase we are always so consumed about what we are feeling and how it affects us in our lives, that we don’t take the time to think that maybe somebody has it just a little bit harder than you. I was in a charity golf outing this weekend honoring one of our beloved family members, who I have written about earlier, who passed away from a 2 year battle with leukemia in March. Ironically, the golf outing was on 9-11 and it couldn’t have been more fitting since he was a police […]

The things you miss…

One of my patients in the clinic was telling me about how his shoulder problem was preventing him for throwing with his son who is a pitcher on his baseball team. In fact that was his number one goal to throw a baseball again and throw it well with his son. It was exciting to talk to someone who had such a passion for the game as he played it just like I did. He was outlining his throwing motion to me and I was dissecting it and determining what exercises would be best for his particular situation. Having played […]

Wedding bells…

I am getting married in October and frankly the myriad of details that goes into planning a wedding are unbelievable. I have been in 11 weddings and I thought I knew everything, but as I am finding out, you can always learn something new in every situation. It really is an exciting time. I could get married tomorrow. I am ready and I say, “Bring it on.” But there is one thing that is going to be extremely bittersweet for me and that is not having my Dad there. I am trying to think how it would be different if […]

The little things…

Sometimes it is those little things in life that can just drive you crazy when you are going through them but oddly enough those seem to be the things that you miss the most when that special loved one is not around anymore. I could give you dozens of things that used to drive me nuts that my Dad did. He used to slurp his soup, clang his spoon against the bowl when he ate ice cream, wore white tube socks with dress shoes and shorts, used to say “Give em’ hell” to me all the time (I think he […]

The Bucket List…

Believe it or not last night was the first time I actually watched the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. What a great movie. Two total strangers, one deadly killer that they shared between them and a lifetime worth of memories rolled up into a 3-6 month time frame. I could relate to that movie on so many levels. It was especially sad to see the part where Morgan Freeman’s character Carter returns home to his wife after all of his adventures on the bucket list were completed. They had a great dinner and his wife […]

Another birthday…

My birthday was yesterday and I love my birthday. I think it is the one day of the year where you should be able to celebrate the way you want to and call your own shots all day with no questions or suggestions from anybody. It is a day to celebrate life, to be thankful that you have again arrived in a place where you get to start a whole new adventure in your life. My birthday, like almost all of my birthdays past, was absolutely wonderful. I started off with breakfast being made for me by my mom and […]

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