When our oldest daughter, Tara, was fifteen months old and not developing normally, my husband and I were told by a neurologist that she had cerebral palsy and traits of autism. An orthopedic surgeon told me he did not think she would ever walk. He recommended that we put her in an institution and “go on with our lives.”
I was raised in a Christian Science Sunday School and had had many proofs of healing prior to having a family. I immediately sought support from a Christian Science practitioner, knowing I could challenge these medical predictions with the truths in the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy.
Although I knew that our loving Father-Mother God, the only creative, governing power of existence, could never create anything defective or capable of causing sorrow and grief, I initially felt great fear and responsibility for Tara’s condition. The first healing that took place was the dissolving of guilt and self-pity; I could not stop thinking that if I had prayed better during my pregnancy, I could have prevented this. I was also overwhelmed taking care of her special needs.
