I felt blessed as a child, being raised by an aunt and uncle who were studying Christian Science. Through their help I began to learn about God, who is good. After my aunt had taught me how to read, the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, became sources of strength and comfort.
When I was a teen-ager my little finger once became infected, and fear was voiced that the condition could also affect my arm. At this point a Christian Science practitioner was called. Her prayer allayed my fear—fear which had been aggravated by a struggle I was having at that time with atheism. Despite this inner strife, the healing did take place. After a few weeks the condition drained, and gradually I came to terms with atheism— wiser and more grateful than ever for Christian Science.
The fear of cancer hung over me for a number of years. I felt nagging physical sensations that I fancied were symptoms of the disease, although these fluctuated with the intensity of my fear. This passage from Science and Health reassured me (p. 400): "Eradicate the image of disease from the perturbed thought before it has taken tangible shape in conscious thought, alias the body, and you prevent the development of disease. This task becomes easy, if you understand that every disease is an error, and has no character nor type, except what mortal mind assigns to it."
