On the tenth of August, 1921, I was taken ill with dangerous blood poisoning, the result of a wound on my leg, according to the physicians' diagnosis. I was taken to the hospital to be operated upon immediately. I lay between life and death for three weeks, as various complications set in. At my request I was allowed to go home at the end of five weeks. But on account of the many injections I had received, I was very weak; and pleurisy, two ruptures of the stomach, and an intestinal flexure were added to my sufferings, so that ten weeks later I had to be taken to the hospital again. I returned home in three weeks, but not healed. A short time afterward I became so ill that the worst was feared, and I was taken to the hospital for the third time. Nobody except my wife had any hope of my recovery. I suffered terribly, as gradually both my legs and my right arm became totally paralyzed. Days passed without the four physicians who were treating me having the slightest success. To my wife's inquiry regarding my condition the only answer was a shrug of the shoulders and an evasive reply that I would never be able to walk again.
Then my wife thought of Christian Science. She seemed to remember very faintly once having heard a woman, who proved to be a Christian Science practitioner, speak about it. I requested this lady to come to me. She opened the door to Truth, Love, and Life for me. I soon began to feel the effect of God's presence and omnipotence. I found rest; the pain left me; and I slept for the first time —after so many nights of struggle— without narcotics. If error tried to assert itself in the days following, I asked the practitioner for help. With never failing love, and always ready to help, she came to my bedside. And so I gradually recovered, both physically and spiritually. This seemed almost inexplicable to the physicians. Very soon I was able to move my legs and arm again, and six weeks later to return home healed. I am now in good health and able to do all my work again as a farmer. To my great surprise, I found that I had been completely freed from the smoking habit at the same time.
I am sincerely grateful and happy for this proof of God's omnipotence. Next to God I am grateful to our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy, and to the practitioner, for all the blessings which have come to me and to my family through Christian Science. Words cannot express my gratitude. I am striving by studying the Christian Science Lesson-Sermons daily, and by reading Der Herold, to learn to understand more of this teaching, — Riiplisried, Berne, Switzerland.
