In my twenties, I contracted measles. I immediately contacted a Christian Science practitioner for treatment through prayer, but despite our best efforts, the case deteriorated rapidly and I became mentally and physically incapacitated. Unable to care for me, my family had me admitted to a hospital. The doctors diagnosed severe viral encephalitis (what used to be termed brain fever). There was no medical treatment available, and the prognosis, if I survived, was a high probability of brain damage and a recovery period that could take years.
It hadn’t been my choice to seek medical aid, and, since I couldn’t be medically treated anyway, Christian Science treatment continued.
When I first went to the hospital, all was dark. But I felt as if I could just barely see a tiny prick of light, like a distant star, leading me out of the darkness. My first clear memory at the hospital is of seeing an issue of the Christian Science Sentinel on my bedside table. It was near Christmas, and a beautiful artistic rendition of the star of Bethlehem glowed out of the cover, which comforted me.
