For many years, in fact ever since I was a schoolgirl, I had been a semi-invalid,— up and around, but always obliged to be careful and to consider my health first. As the years went by, I became gradually worse, until the doctors pronounced my illness a very serious organic trouble. Everything was tried that loving friends could think of,— I spent months at a time in prominent sanitariums and water-cures in different parts of the East. I even resorted to patent medicines, and one entire winter I was away from home and friends, enduring a lonely hotel life in an eastern city, that I might have daily electric treatments. For many years I was under the care of specialists in New York and Chicago, but nothing gave permanent relief, and, as a last resort, an operation was decided upon.
This was performed by one of Chicago's expert surgeons, and I barely lived through it, being in bed ten weeks. I had endured these horrors patiently, sustained by the hope of being well at last. Perhaps my dismay may be imagined when, at the end of six months, I found myself much worse than I had ever been, and going steadily down. All the old troubles had returned, bringing others which I had never before experienced. The physicians said there was not an organ in my body working right. I was advised to seek a sea-level, as even this slight altitude was too great for my weak heart. I never ate a meal or slept a night without drugs, and spent most of the time in bed or on the couch, though some days I was able to walk about the house, and even venture out a little. T was told there was nothing before me but more operations, though there was no certainty of a cure even then, and anyway I was not able to endure them until I could gain some strength. I felt myself sinking into the depths of despair, with nothing in the future but an open grave or, worse still, hopeless invalidism.
It was in this dark hour that Christian Science came to my rescue. A lady in this city had been a sad invalid, and when I went East she was in bed attended by a trained nurse. Upon my return I saw her driving past, looking radiant, well, and happy. To my astonishment I wrote her a note, asking if she would come and tell a poor, discouraged invalid what she had been doing. She responded quickly, and informed me that it was Christian Science which had so wonderfully healed her. I was greatly prejudiced against Christian Science, as I had heard it denounced from the pulpits and scoffed at by physicians, and when other friends had urged me to try it, I had said, "O yes, it may have helped you, but it never could help me." I had in fact declared that I would rather die than be cured by any such thing. This lady's experience was very surprising, however, and as her trouble was similar to mine, I decided to give Christian Science a trial, after thinking about it several days, and this kind friend took me to her practitioner.
