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Sue Thomas: The Eyes Have It

What a journey it has been for Sue Thomas. Deaf since she was 18 months old, Thomas hasn't let anything stop her from living a life full of excitement and adventure. She was a figure skating state champion at age 7 and later became an accomplished pianist, even though she could only feel the vibrations of the music. She earned a political science degree in college, despite being labeled "special" as a student in public schools. Then there was this little gig she had as a special assistant for the FBI.

Her fearless work as an undercover surveillance expert—aided by her extraordinary ability to read lips—has inspired a prime-time TV series on the pax network—Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (Sundays, 9 P.M., eastern).

Thomas, 52, has faced every challenge with a simple belief passed on to her by her parents—"With God's help, there is absolutely nothing in my life I can't do," she says.

"I got word that the FBI was looking for deaf people to be trained as fingerprint examiners. Then one day they had a problem with some surveillance device and asked me for help in reading the people's lips. So I did. But I never went looking for that kind of job. It was the journey the Lord took me on."

Though Thomas has new obstacles to overcome these days—she's progressively losing her eyesight due to complications of diabetes and has also been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—she hasn't slowed down. She spends most of her time speaking nationwide at conferences and is busy writing two new books as sequels to her successful memoir Silent Night.

The former FBI spy finds it hard to believe that people are watching a TV show based on her life. On the series, deaf actress Deanne Bray (who is also a Christian) stars as Sue.

Thomas chuckles, "It's great to see myself running around on screen as a cute little blonde!"

She adds, "I feel that the series reinforces in a powerful way that there is a God who created us all for a very special purpose."

Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine.
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