Throughout my childhood and into my adult life I suffered terribly from allergies. There were many things in the environment I felt triggered extreme reactions—but probably the most devastating to me was my reaction to cats. As a child I owned a huge ginger cat called Timmy. I loved Timmy, but even to sit near him caused me hours of distress; to touch him meant that I was almost incapacitated.
I was brought up in a Christian Science family and we were used to handling all sorts of situations effectively through prayer. In fact, over the years, I had been healed quickly of many childhood illnesses including measles and whooping cough, as well as appendicitis. My parents prayed with me about this allergic reaction and we also sought the help of a Christian Science practitioner. I learned a lot about God and the truth of spiritual being during this time, but it seemed that I could not let go of the notion that this was somehow a part of my identity. Healing did not occur right away.
As I grew up, I stopped praying about the situation and just learned to manage the condition: I avoided cats, my husband cut down our privet bushes to eliminate their pollen, and I stayed inside in certain weather conditions. When we travelled to Africa, I even wore a face mask. During this time, I still thought of myself as a Christian Scientist, but I did not really live a Christian Science life. I rarely studied and was not at all earnest in putting into practice the truths that I had been taught.
