At first the only thing I knew about Christian Science was that it was supposed to heal. Because I was in great pain, I went to an internist whom I knew well. He diagnosed an inflamed appendix. Since the home remedy he recommended did not work, and since I didn't want to leave my family alone just before Christmas to have an operation, I turned to the friend who had first told me about Christian Science. I described my condition to her and asked if she could help me.
She came to visit on a Wednesday evening after church and asked if I would be willing to read Science and Health. I said, "If that goes with it, of course." We read together and talked for an hour and a half, and she prayed for me. When I saw her to the door, I felt very hungry and asked her if I was allowed to eat anything. She said I could eat anything I liked. And so I did, for the first time in several days. The painful symptoms were gone—permanently.
When I had to have a physical examination a few years later, I was reproached for not having indicated on the questionnaire that I had had an operation, for they found my appendix was no longer there. But since there wasn't any scar, they finally had to believe me when I said it had not been surgically removed. This drove home to me once more how wonderfully effective prayer had been, and how grateful I could be for it. Since that first contact with Christian Science, I have read the textbook daily, for the spiritual truths in it have not let go their hold on me.
