I had always been a delicate child. From infancy the thought that I was not strong and could not live long was held over me. I took medicine until I found Christian Science.
After coming West and living on a ranch for three years with my father and brother, I became very ill and was taken to a physician. He pronounced me tubercular. I then consulted two other physicians. They gave me a thorough examination and took an X-ray picture. I did not think I would get off their table alive, and was so weak that I did not care. They, too, said I had tuberculosis; that my heart was in a very bad condition; that I could stand no excitement; that I was anæmic, and that every organ in my body had dropped from its natural position! They advised me to go home and remain in bed for six weeks, gave me a long list of rules to follow, and asked me to send them a report each day of my temperature. I followed their instructions, and at the end of the six weeks reported to them in person. After another examination they said my only hope was to go south to Arizona. Financial conditions prevented this, however; so the doctors decided I was to stay in town, where I could have tuberculin injected into my arm each day. They said I should be very careful and save every ounce of strength I had, as the time was soon approaching when I would have no strength left.
While I was serving my term of six weeks in bed, a kind lady came to see me, and said that she had been healed through Christian Science. I had always believed in God; still, her story did not seem to impress me very much at the time.
