Thom was born on June 13, 1986, in Burnaby, British Columbia,[1] with spina bifida and hydrocephalus causing fluid build-up in the brain.
As a result, he had four operations in the first 10 days of his life and although he had learned to walk by age two, a growth spurt meant he required further surgery for a tethered spinal cord.
[2] Thom and his family moved to Mississauga, Ontario when he was four years old[3] and he began wheelchair racing at the age of 10 after being inspired by the 1500m during the 1996 Summer Paralympics.
[2] Thom eventually left Mississauga to Ottawa to train with his coach Bob Schrader on a full-time basis.
[9] Following this, Thom raced to a gold medal in the men's T53–54 wheelchair 4 × 400 metres at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships.