After being for five years under the treatment of different physicians, who were only able to give me temporary relief, and that through the administration of morphine hypodermically, I came to California in 1917 to visit my son before he sailed for Europe to participate in the world war. I was supposed to return to the Middle West within three months, to undergo a serious abdominal operation. The surgeons gave me little encouragement of recovery, as the operation was necessitated because of numerous complications, including gallstones, indigestion, constipation, nervous prostration, and I had a weak heart. The last was seemingly produced by the excessive use of morphine. My diet consisted mostly of liquids. If I ate anything aside from the diet prescribed by the physician, I would suffer excruciating pain and would again resort to the drug for relief. I finally awakened to the fact of where the drug was leading me, and promised my daughter that I would never take another dose of morphine. As "man's extremity is God's opportunity," I was finally led to ask a practitioner for help, as she had told me Christian Science would help me.
One evening, as I was suffering from an attack, I asked my son to go to the practitioner and tell her. He did this. The practitioner lovingly took up the work for me; and I realized almost instantly that I was healed, and told my daughter to go to bed as I was all right. I am positive that it was not more than twenty minutes before I was free from all pain. Previous to that I had not been able to lie down, owing to severe pain around the heart and also in the abdomen. I wanted my daughter to know how free I was from all suffering. At the same time I was afraid to move in case there might be a return of the pain. I managed, however, to arouse her to tell her I wanted to lie down.
It seemed as though I had reached high heaven. I dropped to sleep and did not awaken until eight o'clock the following morning. When I arose I ate some hot biscuits for my breakfast. This was something I had not been permitted to do for three years. About twelve o'clock that same day, I went down town with the practitioner who had worked so lovingly for me. I have not had a return of any of the conditions. I was healed instantaneously. I am most grateful for the elimination of the narcotic habit.
