IN 1973, I was suddenly taken ill with pneumonia and hospitalized. After I spent a week in the hospital, the doctor sent me home with medication and, after several weeks, I finally regained my health.
The following spring I again experienced the same symptoms. When I told a colleague at work that I had pneumonia and that I dreaded going through another hospital stay with all the shots and medication, she said that I could be healed through prayer. She said there were even people who would pray for me. These were novel ideas to me. I told her I'd be willing to try treatment through prayer if she would tell me where I could find such a person. She gave me the information, and I went directly to the practitioner's home.
The practitioner told me about Christian Science and how it heals. Although it sounded very unusual to me, her calm and loving manner stilled my fearful thoughts and gave me confidence that perhaps God could heal me. However, the next day there was no change in my condition, so my husband and I decided that it would be wise to see a doctor. The doctor confirmed that I had pneumonia and gave me some medication that he said I should take until I was well. He also told me that I needed to sleep in a makeshift tent with a humidifier in it, which I did.
