(Minghui.org) I am a retired teacher and am now 70 years old. I had been teaching in rural areas for a long time. To take care of my little grandson, I moved to the city in 1993. Since I was a small boy, I had been infirm and frequently ill, especially in wintertime. Each bout of sickness lasted a month or two. Taking medicine and injections was not very effective. I also suffered physical pain from time to time, which would move to different parts of my body from day to day. I also used many different topical applications to reduce the pain, so my entire body was covered with black-colored ointments. Later, I developed an irregular heartbeat and chronic fatigue.

Even worse, in the fall of 1989, I developed a strange condition: one morning, I was terribly sick. All of the joints in my hands were swollen. I could not stretch my fingers at all. Soon, some other joints became swollen. When I walked, my feet began to ache. The illness quickly worsened. A few months later, almost all of my joints were swollen–my fingers were twice their normal size. My neighbors came to visit me, and they told me that another villager once had the same disease. He suffered great pain and visited many doctors, finally passing away from the disease a few years later. My family worried for my life and did their best to find the best medical treatment to try to cure me.

Starting from the onset, I continuously received both oral and intravenous medication. Both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine could reduce the swelling and relieve pain for a short time at the beginning, but the medicine gradually became less effective. As a result, the swelling and pain returned repeatedly.

I visited local township hospitals and the county hospital, but no doctor knew what my disease was. In the city's famous orthopedic hospital, it was diagnosed as a typical case of rheumatoid arthritis. Two other major hospitals reached the same conclusion. At that time this was a rare disease, and there was no special drug that could cure it.

Someone told me about a famous doctor of Chinese medicine in another town who specialized in this disease. My daughter and my son-in-law sent me there. When we arrived, many patients waiting to be treated by this doctor praised his medical skills. Because we came from far away, the doctor allowed me to cut in line and proceeded to give me an examination. The doctor promised that after two treatments my disease would be gone. I delightedly brought the medicine home. However, this traditional Chinese herb only eased my joint swelling and pain for a little longer than other medications did, and it could not cure the disease at all. Later, I visited another hospital. The head of the hospital, who had recently participated in an international rheumatology seminar, said that currently there was not a special treatment that could cure the disease. The rheumatoid arthritis was referred to as an "immortal cancer." After that, I lost hope completely and gave up the search for doctors.

My disease was in rapid development. My fingers, wrists, and forearms deformed and atrophied. The unbearable pain got worse. I struggled day by day–a day seemed like a year to me. The painful torment almost made me lose hope in life.

In 1995, I was introduced to and began to practice Falun Gong, thereby gaining a new life. I was fortunate enough to listen to the recording of lectures taught by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Jinan. I also participated in a nine-day class to watch the video recordings of Master's lectures.

I obtained the treasured book Zhuan Falun. After my eager listening, watching, and reading, I felt that my worldview had changed. I set strict requirements for myself to be a good person. At the same time, I diligently practiced all five Falun Gong exercises every day. As my xinxing continually improved, my body also changed rapidly. The pain gradually disappeared, and the swelling in my joints also gradually reduced and could stretch. In less than six months, I went from being terminally ill and disabled to looking like a young man. In order to buy an electric multimeter for the practice site, I biked dozens of miles in one morning and traveled to various shopping centers. On my bike I felt as if I were flying, and when walking up stairs I felt as if someone was giving me a push.

I lived in a sixth floor apartment. To get water, I needed to go down to the fifth floor. I easily carried two buckets of water (about 15kg (33lb) each) up and down the stairs and did not feel that it was strenuous. Every morning, I jogged all the way to the park to join the group exercises. At the park, there was a pavilion on top of a hill. I ran up and down the 72 steps and did not feel tired or even need to catch my breath. Practicing Falun Gong made me truly experience a light, illness-free body.

It is Falun Dafa that saved my life. It is the compassionate, great Master Li Hongzhi who pulled me back from the brink of death and gave me a new life. Thousands upon thousands of words cannot express my gratitude to Master. I only live in accordance with Dafa’s requirements, to be a good person, a better person, and an extraordinary person. No matter what tribulations I encounter, no matter how the evil persecutes Dafa, I will practice Dafa unwaveringly to live up to the grace of Master’s salvation.

I want to use my personal experience to tell the world: Falun Dafa is good! Do not believe the lies of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). I hope that you will have a bright future.