From a little child I was always sickly, suffering from spasms and nervousness in general. At the age of eight I grew worse, and upon physicians' advice was taken out of school. Instead of improving, I became suddenly very sick. My parents sent for all the physicians in town; but they said they could do nothing. They then sent to a neighboring town for a prominent physician. He wanted to perform an operation on me, but this my parents would not permit, so I was taken to San Antonio and placed under the best doctors' treatment. I suffered such intense pain that in order to be examined I had to be placed under the influence of chloroform. The doctors pronounced my case cerebro spinal meningitis, with complications. I took chloroform seven times, then they could not give it to me any more on account of my heart. My back was burnt several times, but instead of improving I grew daily worse. My mother remained in San Antonio with me four months, then the doctors said they could do nothing more. My parents took me home, and everything available was tried. During all this time I could not walk, neither could I sit up; my whole left side was affected, and I suffered much pain. I passed through the hands of thirteen different doctors and "suffered many things." The last physicians that we had said, "If we give her medicine for one thing, it will hurt her otherwise." During all this time I could see no one but my parents, sisters, and the attending physicians.
After I had not walked for three years and had not been able to sit up for two and a half years, my attending physician asked me if I was ready to die. I said, "Yes, for I am only a burden as it is." He said, "I am glad, for you have no longer than a month to live." He told my parents that they need not try anything else, he would just give me medicine to relieve pain.
I had always been religiously inclined, and I now began to read the Bible more earnestly, and I wondered why Jesus did not come back and heal the sick, when I needed him so much? Daily the thought would come, Why does not Jesus come and heal me? Then a dear lady came and told my mother that her friend had been healed through Christian Science, and that it would probably heal me. My mother said, "No, she has suffered enough, and we do not wish her to suffer anything more;" nevertheless, this lady wrote to a Christian Scientist and asked what I would have to suffer. That letter brought great surprise when we read, "Nothing; but she must give up all material remedies, and God will heal her." She also advised me to read the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. My parents decided to try it for two weeks. The first week I did not seem to improve. Three times I tried to read Christian Science literature, but I thought I could not understand it, and threw the books from me. Then one morning I awoke with such a happy feeling, and that day I received a letter from the practitioner assuring me that I should be well. Oh, the joy I felt! At last I had learned that God was not punishing me. Now I could say, God is Love. The next morning I sat up, and a week from that day I tried to walk, and I had to learn like a little child, for I did not know how to place my feet. My parents cried like children when they saw that I was really getting well. Almost all pain had left me. After the swelling had gone down, I was told that I looked like a skeleton. It was about four months before I could walk perfectly straight. It is now seven years since I got up, and I am a picture of health.
