Fend For Himself
All his life, Tom’s time was divided between school and taking care of his mother and sister. His mom had cancer which meant that she was constantly in and out of the hospital. Because of this, Tom and his little sister had to learn to fend for themselves.
But through all of this, Tom managed to keep his educational career polished. Unlike most of the kids around him, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. This is what attracted Laura to him in the first place.