AS A CHILD, I couldn't engage in prolonged activities outdoors without bouts of constricted breathing, irritated eyes, wheezing, and sneezing. My parents tried various remedies to relieve the symptoms, including a number of medications, inhalers, and vaporizers. I even tried breathing through steaming washcloths. But these options only provided temporary relief, if that. The hope was that I would outgrow the problem.
I didn't. But I did begin to attend a Christian Science Sunday School, where I learned that God is good and all-powerful. So although the asthma symptoms persisted off and on through high school, by this time I'd stopped using medications or inhalers to treat them. My growing understanding of God and my relationship to Him was helping me see that I could pray instead. And rather than just coping or confronting the problem over and over again, I began to realize that I could live a life free of asthma. I could be healed.
The turning point came during my junior year of college. I had just started a prestigious internship at a major metropolitan TV station, and I was living on my own for the first time. It was a great opportunity to prove my abilities and make good contacts for launching my career after college. I needed to be active and alert, and taking sick days was simply not an option.
