I relate this testimony in gratitude for Christian Science and to give courage to those who suffer from the same malady and believe themselves to be without hope of healing.
As a small child I had asthma. This was the beginning of carrying a heavy cross, which I dragged around for forty-two years, and which obliged me to abandon my career as a teacher before I had completed my years of service. From the beginning of the malady I was treated by many material systems, from those using simple cataplasms and household remedies to pharmacology, nature cure, homeopathy, and, finally, surgery. Permitting the surgery was a serious decision, for the consequences were not predictable. Nothing was gained, for I went on suffering attacks that were progressively more acute.
I loved the life of Christ Jesus, with his purity, example, and love for humanity. This marked out my path and sustained me throughout my tribulations. However, in all of this there was a great error of outlook. I had been taught that dragging a cross like mine around would be a means of obtaining a greater degree of purity. Now that I have discarded my old religious thinking, I understand that what I loved in Christ Jesus' life was his practice of good.
