It is with heartfelt gratitude that I give this testimony. From the age of four I had been in several hospitals for a chest complaint. A physician told my parents that I would always be a delicate child, and he held little hope for the future. After one examination it was advised I enter a convalescent home where the air was suitable—two homes, one in Surrey, another in Sussex, were recommended. Between the ages of six and ten I had spent well over two and a half years in them.
After I returned home for a week or so, the problem would start again. A specialist then informed my parents that I was suffering from chronic bronchial asthma and advised I enter a clinic in Switzerland. I asked my mother many times not to give her consent, and I will always be grateful to her for granting my wishes. It was then suggested that I attend an open-air school; this I did for three years. On leaving school at fourteen I also left the care of the hospital and registered with a local physician.
After many years of suffering and loss of employment I wondered if life was worth living. At this point the doctor suggested the use of an inhalant. The one who dispensed it, in advising me on its use, said, "All you need is a little faith and it will work." At the word "faith" I was quite shaken in my thoughts. I asked myself, "What is faith?" and "What am I putting my faith in?" The more I thought about it the more worried I became. Though not a very religious man, the commandment (Ex. 20:3) "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" was often in my thoughts.
