Before Tom Cannon got together with his girlfriend, Ethel, he had to lay all the cards down: They might never be able to have children of their own.

Since 19 years old, Tom has been suffering from psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of his skin and joints.

To cope with his condition, Tom was put on strong medication at that time, which had the side effect of inhibiting one’s ability to have children. 

And yet today, after being married for four years, Tom and Ethel recently received the news that they may be able to try for children, after all!

Originally from Birmingham, England, Tom had to give up his work in carpentry because he no longer had strength in his hands and legs.

“It was painful to get up, painful to even open a jar. There was pain every day, ” said the 35-year-old.

His condition was relatively under control for the first six years, until he experienced one of the worst flare-ups when he was far away from home as a missionary in Southeast Asia.

“All of a sudden, there were massive flare-ups – inflammation in my fingers, ribs, toes, hips – the psoriasis covered my body,” revealed Tom.

Tom’s condition was so bad that he could not even get up because his hips were locked. Suffering intense pain, he decided to return home to England where he could receive treatment.

It was a difficult year for Tom as he also had to deal with doubts about his future.

Growing up as a young boy, Tom had always felt a calling to Asia. That was the reason why he became a missionary. 

But now that he was back in England, it wasn’t like he could use his training in carpentry either.

So in what was a season of “pain and heartache”, Tom could only be grateful for a group of friends he met at church who encouraged and supported him by being his listening ear.

Their fellowship helped to give him strength in holding onto his calling.

And so when an opportunity finally came up to attend a summer camp for youths in Singapore and Malaysia, Tom went for it. It was his chance to go back out to the field.

During this period, he also took the chance to visit different Bible colleges in Singapore, sensing the importance of doing Bible school in Asia. 

Four months after the camp, Tom returned to Singapore to enrol in TCA College, which is where he met Ethel. 

However, it soon became challenging for Tom to focus on his studies as his condition worsened.

The joints in his hands were swelling, and he was feeling weak and lethargic most of the time.

Tom was then told he needed to go on stronger medication as the existing treatment no longer worked for him. But the new medication would cost $2,000 a month – way more than what he could afford.

While he was where he believed God wanted him to be, Tom couldn’t help but wonder if he had somehow heard God wrongly. So he asked God to give him a sign if he should return to England.

After all, he had a chronic condition that needed to be managed, and it made sense for him to go home where treatment would be covered under the national healthcare programme.

Around this time when Tom was weighing his options, he happened to go on an impromptu lunch date with Ethel’s parents. 

Though it was his first time meeting his future in-laws, the conversation gave him a sense of peace that staying in Singapore was the right decision. 

So he decided to trust God as he continued to wrestle with his calling and condition here. 

Over the next two years, Tom and Ethel would also tie the knot and start working together in a local church.

The couple were uncertain of what the future would hold, but they believed that God had called them to stay in Singapore for the long term.

Eventually, the day came when Tom’s doctor told him that he really needed to go on better medication to manage his condition. 

Unsure how they would be able to bear the costs of the medication, Tom and Ethel turned to God in prayer and decided that they would only make a decision by the next appointment.

But just as they were leaving the clinic, Tom’s doctor ran back to ask him how long he was planning to stay in Singapore for.

As it turned out, there was a medical trial starting in 2018 for a drug that had been working well on patients with similar conditions – and Tom could potentially be the first person in Singapore to try out the medication.

His treatment would be free for two and a half years, and this included all blood tests, medications, x-rays and consultations. 

Although they had previously been told that Singaporeans would be given priority for the trial, Tom was amazed at how God provided him with this opportunity.

This also began a process of seeing the miraculous hand of God at work. After just two weeks on the new medication, Tom felt like a new person.

“I began to have my life back – life that I had not experienced since 19,” he said, sharing how he even went on to run half marathons.

Today, his psoriatic arthritis has become dormant and he doesn’t experience the usual fatigue or inflammation in his joints anymore.

It gets even better: In March this year, Tom’s doctor informed him that the medication he was on had received FDA certification and that it was safe for him to have children.

The news came as a wonderful surprise! 

The couple sees it as a real miracle that Tom is able to come off his medication completely and that having children is on the cards again.

When Tom was first diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, he remembered saying: “God I don’t understand why… (but) I know You can hear me. 

“I surrender this because it’s out of my control.”

Looking back, Tom can only express his gratitude for how God has taken care of him all these years.

He also recently learnt that his application for Permanent Residency – after a two-and-a-half-year wait – was finally approved.

Now, the couple have the prospect of owning a home to raise their children in!

“God I don’t understand why… (but) I know You can hear me. I surrender this because it’s out of my control.”

“The way God has shown his goodness and kindness to me has brought me into a closer relationship with him,” said Tom.

Though he doesn’t know what will happen next, he will continue to trust God.

He affirmed: “Even at my wits’ end, God has never left me alone. He’s proven that He’s so faithful, and He’s provided for me in ways that I could never have imagined.”

Tom and his wife, Ethel, are full-time staff at World Revival Prayer Fellowship. Ethel serves in the worship, youth and young adult ministries, while Tom serves in the children, missions and media ministries.