Medicine With a Mission: Interview With Dr. Thomas Balint
- Peyton Silvius
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
How One Doctor is Impacting the Upstate Community Through Medicine
When most people think about volunteering, they imagine teaching a class, serving a meal, or mentoring someone in faith. For Dr. Thomas Balint, his calling looks a little different. He uses his medical practice as a ministry to restore dignity, meet needs, and bring hope to all his patients, including those who have walked through incarceration.
// From Gatherings to Growth
Thomas first learned about JUMPSTART SC through his wife, Amanda. When they moved back to South Carolina for his residency, Amanda began working with JUMPSTART, coordinating monthly gatherings. Thomas tagged along to support her, not realizing that those evenings would plant seeds for his own calling.
“You kept seeing the same people over and over again, and you just started building relationships,” he remembers. Those friendships drew him into the mission of JUMPSTART, a family of faith that’s committed to second chances.
Over the years, Thomas has watched the ministry grow. What began in crowded rooms has expanded into the Indigo Hope Center and Restoration Village, places where participants can gather, learn, and heal. “With the Restoration Village being built, the center being built, the bigger, more open space and the kitchen amenities… things have definitely grown in size,” he says.
// Growth and a New Calling
As Thomas pursued residency at Spartanburg Regional, he discovered something unexpected: some of the patients he was treating were also JUMPSTART participants. They carried not only medical challenges but also the stigma of incarceration. “This is a patient population that has a high likelihood of people looking down upon them,” he explains:
“I try to go in there with an open mind, to speak to them as human beings, as I do with any patient.”
Today, Thomas practices in Woodruff, South Carolina. His approach to care is rooted in faith and dignity. For him, medicine is not just about diagnoses and prescriptions; it’s about restoring trust and creating a safe space. “If they feel like they can have a safe space or a place where they can go for any medical problem, that’s going to ultimately better their long-term health outcomes.”
// Serving with Dignity
Raised in a Christian home, Thomas admits that most of his early life was spent in faith-based environments. But stepping into medicine stretched him. He learned to live out Jesus’ commandment to love people, no matter their past. Thomas’s testimony shapes the way he interacts with every patient.
“Jesus met physical needs before He was able to address spiritual needs,” Thomas reflects. “A lot of times He met that physical need first, and it opened the door for growth spiritually.” That’s exactly how Thomas views his work: meeting medical needs and people with dignity, which then opens doors for deeper conversations and healing.
Thomas is clear that his work isn’t always easy. Some days are challenging, and not every case has a quick solution. But for him, perseverance in love is worth it. “I’m always looking for what will best serve my patients,” he says. Sometimes that means finding an answer. Other times it means walking alongside them as we figure it out together.
// A Call to Use What’s in Your Hands
Thomas’s story is a reminder that serving doesn’t always look the same. For one person, it may mean teaching art. For another, it may mean mentoring inside prison. For Thomas, it means practicing medicine with compassion and faith.
You don’t need to wait for the perfect opportunity. You can start with the skills already in your hands. And like Thomas, you might just find that your profession becomes your mission field.
“This is my way of giving to the program. Amanda gives her time and effort as part of the staff, and this is a way I can contribute, by serving a patient population that often gets overlooked.”
👉 Want to make an impact like Thomas? 👉 Whether you’re an artist, a mentor, a business leader, or a doctor, there’s a place for you to serve. Discover how you can use your gifts through JUMPSTART SC: https://www.jumpstartvision.org/get-involved-south-carolina