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Wheelchair-bound lung cancer patient gets baptized six days before his death in Alabama hospital: 'He is born again'

Thomas Roberts expressed the desire to be baptized by being fully submerged in water, despite the fact that he could not walk and was unable to breathe without oxygen tubes
UPDATED MAR 17, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: A wheelchair-bound man dying of lung cancer recently wanted to be baptized despite being an atheist for most of his life. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital assembled a team on September 4 to grant his wish.

Thomas Roberts expressed the desire to be baptized by being fully submerged in water, despite the fact that he could not walk and was unable to breathe without oxygen tubes.

Corey Agricola, a chaplain at UAB, along with the palliative care team at the hospital put together a plan to make this happen, according to a UAB News report. 

"It was a major effort by a lot of moving pieces and different teams to pull this off," Agricola said. "If it had not been for the team, this could not have happened."

The team knew that the Spain Rehabilitation Center was available and so, it was only the matter of getting clearance from Roberts' physician, Dr. Ashley Nichols, to make sure he was able to be off oxygen long enough to go underwater.

Since he only had days to live, Agricola said that he knew that the team had to work fast.

 "Dr. Nichols made it clear he would only be able to be off oxygen for a few seconds, which meant we couldn’t roll him down the ramp in the pool wheelchair, so we had to use the chairlift to place him in the pool," Agricola said.

Roberts' wife, son, two sisters, niece, and nephew attended his baptism, where Agricola and his physical therapist Marissa Smith were also present.

"I have served in the ministry over 20 years and seven of those at UAB. This is the greatest day of my career," Agricola told Roberts and his family at the start of the celebration.

"Thomas, you never thought you would preach a sermon in your life; but you preached today. You made an impact on people who you do not even know."

Gina Gibson, Roberts' sister, said: “It brings me complete comfort and peace because I know where he is going now. I don't have to worry about it. Now there will be great joy just knowing where he is going."

"He is at peace. He was born again. You could see that on his face after the baptism. He was born again," she shared.

Roberts passed away six days after his baptism on September 10.

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