I AM 93 YEARS OLD, and I live alone. Last spring, I fell in the bathroom of my apartment and was unable to get up. I was in great pain and had apparently broken my hip. When my landlady, whom I alerted to my need for help, found me on the floor, unable to move, she immediately called an ambulance, which took me to the hospital.
I've been a Christian Scientist for most of my adult life and have had many healings through prayer. So the minute I'd hit the floor, my response had been to pray—to affirm God's constant, loving care for me and to acknowledge that I could not fall out of this care at any time. It was my desire to rely entirely on my understanding of Christian Science for healing in this situation. And as soon as I got a chance at the hospital, I phoned a Christian Science practitioner, who agreed to support me through prayer.
Meanwhile, X-rays were taken, and they confirmed a fractured pelvic bone. The doctors and other medical personnel were urging me to have immediate medical treatment, including surgery. At first I could not get the staff to understand my request not to have such treatment, and instead to rely on prayer for healing. But a Bible verse came to me and helped me through the confusion: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5, 6). I knew that God was in charge and that I could turn the situation over to Him.
