In February, 1919, when thirteen years old, I returned home from school one day quite exhausted and lay down and went to sleep. When I awoke my right leg pained me, and I could not move it at all. Naturally my mother in her fear went at once to a doctor, who diagnosed the trouble as articular rheumatism and prescribed liniments for me. However, my condition grew worse, and my right arm became stiff and heavy. In this extremity we heard of Christian Science. When we knew what it was about, we asked a practitioner for treatment, which was lovingly given. Then the struggle between truth and error began.
As we were obliged to continue to consult the physician because of the provision for war orphans (my father was a victim of the war), this struggle was rather severe. At times it even seemed that error would keep the upper hand; for my condition grew so much worse that my heart was affected, and the doctor reckoned only with death. This severe struggle between truth and error lasted about six weeks. After that error's power was broken, but not overcome. I was able to walk with a cane and go to the physician, whom we could not discharge. He ordered an X-ray examination of my leg, and this showed that several splinters had separated from the bone, and that a carious condition had set in. Both of these evils were to be removed by an immediate operation. At the same time I was told that in spite of the operation I might lose my leg.
I now had enough knowledge of Christian Science not to allow the operation. And behold, on a beautiful spring afternoon, as I was reading a copy of Der Herold der Christian Science, my leg opened painlessly, and I could easily pull out the splinters. The open wound was cleansed, and very soon it had healed again. The doctor was speechless, but he prophesied that I would never be able to walk properly again. But this error, too, was destroyed by divine omnipotence, upon which I solely relied. After a few days I was able to lay aside my cane, and three months later I took part successfully in a school race. My stiff arm also improved, and to-day it is just as flexible as the other. This healing took place about ten years ago, and since that time I have not had the slightest difficulty. Owing to this sickness I was for a time very backward at school; but here too I was wonderfully helped by a right understanding of God, so that I soon regained my former place.
