Who is Tommy from A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier and what is their importance?

Tommy was a carpenter in Freetown and Ishmael's uncle. The two never met when Ishmael was younger, but Ishmael's father had told the boy stories about his uncle. When Ishmael was in rehabilitation, Tommy came to visit him then took him to meet the family. He never had his own children, but he took in children from his siblings when they couldn't care for their children. The man was filled with love and provided a house filled with laughter. After dinner, he and the family would gather to listen to recordings from storytellers. When Ishmael risked his life to get food for the family, Tommy was very upset and told him never to do that again. He became very ill and died when the family couldn't go out and get help for him due to the state of warfare in the city. He was mourned by many family and friends.