The Miraculous Healing of Thomas Briggs's Withered Leg

Thomas Briggs was an early Latter-day Saint convert from England who later immigrated to Utah as a pioneer [Stories - Thomas Briggs](https://pioneerchildrensmemorial.com/stories/thomas-briggs-1843). Born to John Briggs and Ruth Butterworth, Thomas experienced a profound physical trial during his youth. By 1848, while the Briggs family was living in Hull, England, Thomas suffered from a severely withered left leg. His condition had deteriorated to the point that his family sought the advice of yet another physician. The doctor's diagnosis was grim: he concluded that nothing medically could be done to save the limb and predicted that the young man would not live much longer [Leaves and Nuts: 52 Ancestory Week 10: Thomas Briggs and the Twice Buried Leg](http://leavesandnuts.blogspot.com/2014/03/52-ancestory-week-10-thomas-briggs-and.html). Earlier that same year, the Briggs family had been introduced to and baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their home in Hull frequently served as a gathering place for local Church meetings. Upon hearing the doctor's hopeless prognosis, Thomas turned to his newly found faith. He decided to pray for divine healing and specifically asked the local Latter-day Saint elders to join him in prayer, determining that if his prayer was not answered, he would resign himself to death [Leaves and Nuts: 52 Ancestory Week 10: Thomas Briggs and the Twice Buried Leg](http://leavesandnuts.blogspot.com/2014/03/52-ancestory-week-10-thomas-briggs-and.html). The next time the elders convened at the Briggs home, they administered to Thomas and offered a special prayer in his behalf. According to his family's history, the results were immediate and miraculous. The very next morning, Thomas awoke to discover that his withered left leg had grown to be the exact same length as his right leg. Over the course of the following few weeks, the previously atrophied limb became equally strong, completely reversing the doctor's fatal diagnosis [Leaves and Nuts: 52 Ancestory Week 10: Thomas Briggs and the Twice Buried Leg](http://leavesandnuts.blogspot.com/2014/03/52-ancestory-week-10-thomas-briggs-and.html). This miraculous healing solidified Thomas's faith in the restored gospel. He went on to live a long life, eventually crossing the plains to Utah, where he settled in Bountiful and left a detailed autobiography of his pioneer experiences [Thomas Briggs | Church History Biographical Database](https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/individual/thomas-briggs-1832?lang=eng).