Tom Celebrates His 69th Birthday with Life-Changing Gifts

For my 69^th birthday this week I received two incredible gifts. I got a new back and a new smile and we are rejoicing!

Tom Randall’s Journey to a New Smile and Enhanced Spanish Skills

The good news is that my teeth are perfect now. The bad news is that I lost my signature gap in the middle of my smile. I pressured Dr Sophie and Dr Mara to leave the gap but was overruled in the end.

Because the eight month process of braces and caps was expensive and a free gift I let gratefulness overwhelm my sentimental preferences. Since everyone on staff is from Puerto Rico, I also gained an upgrade on my Spanish proficiency and some more friends. The mission field is everywhere here in Florida!

My second birthday gift has provided a drastic improvement in my quality of life and effectiveness as a missionary. My pain management surgeon has performed a new procedure resulting in a significant reduction of pain in my lower back and legs!

First, they drew 200cc of my blood and spent two hours enriching the cells and platelets. In just over an hour on the operating table they used 28 injections of my new and improved blood to return it into my spine area and lower back. For that small inconvenience I am standing straight and walking normally with very little pain and a great deal of gratefulness. Dr Paez tells me the full benefit of the surgery comes at three months.

Tom’s Experiences Revolutionary Pain Relief and Reflects on Grace

My perspective on pain and God’s Grace started from a serious back incident 50 years ago in Chicago. I was going high for a layup playing for Judson University. I was undercut by an angry opponent. I fell awkwardly on my back and was temporarily paralyzed for several hours.

Coach Helm personally escorted me and prayed over me in the ambulance all the way to the emergency room at the hospital. It took four days of therapy to walk and weeks before getting back on the court again.

The doctors were correct in saying I would have lower back pain and need treatments the rest of my life. What they could not imagine, but for the powerful grace of God, is that over the next 30 years I would go on to play over 2000 international basketball games including riding people on my shoulders on the unicycle.

I know I am not entitled nor deserve the many years of immense joy and happiness serving the Lord alongside Karen. I have benefited immensely from the combination of God’s Grace and modern medicine with titanium hips, a rebuilt elbow, dozens of surgeries and procedures on my back, legs, shoulders, and mouth for which I rejoice and am thankful. But this great appreciation for physical rebirth and healing still cannot compare with the spiritual rebirth of being born again in Christ!