(Clearwisdom.net) It seemed to me that my mother was always healthy. However, after having a cold in early 1999, she felt her legs were weak and she had difficulty walking. Her hands became so swollen that she could not make a fist. She suffered severe pain that made it difficult to sleep at night.
Mother sought medical treatments from many different places. Sometimes she had to go to several places in the same day. She visited Western medical doctors, Chinese traditional doctors, and even folk healers. She changed her diet and tried chiropractic treatments. No doctor could give her a clear answer what was wrong. Some said it could be rheumatism, some said it was aging, some guessed it was osteoporosis, and some said it was caused by menopause. She felt a little better occasionally, but worse most of the time. We family members all worried about her but could not help much.
It was a period of dark days for Mother. The illness caused many inconveniences for her. She had to lean on my father to go upstairs; she could not stand up by herself after sitting on a chair for a little while; it took a great effort just to get her feet into the car; she could not ride the bus at all; and her hands were so swollen and weak that she could not even wash her face or put on socks. Fortunately we were all optimistic and passed those difficult days together.
Mother not only suffered physically, she also suffered great stress mentally. Since my parents run their own business, many customers and acquaintances learned about her condition. Some people cared about her and some were also curious, and they often asked, "I heard you had a strange, incurable illness. What is it?" Others would say, "I know So and So also had an illness similar to yours, and he soon passed away." Such comments made her uneasy and frightened. She became afraid to go out, fearing people would talk about her.
I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, and I felt great, so I tried to persuade my parents to practice, though I never forced them. On Father's Day 1998, I gave my father a set of audiotapes of Master's lectures as a gift. My father loved to listen to the tapes, although he only listened to them about two or three times since he was so busy at work. Mother never really paid any attention to the tapes.
After she had been sick for nine months, because she could not work, she had a lot of time on her hands. Because she could not find any other way to cure her sickness, she started thinking to herself, "Let me try Falun Gong."
When I first taught her the exercises, she could not raise her hands very high or bend her legs. She tried to follow the exercises but made very slow progress, often forgetting the exercise I had just taught her a minute before.
Shortly after, she participated in a free, Falun Dafa nine-day lecture. Within a month, her sickness gradually disappeared.
When she was sick, she never sweat, no matter how long she stayed out in the sun, but after doing the exercises she would sweat a great deal, even in an air-conditioned room. The exercises that she had trouble remembering, she learned to do very well. She could walk faster and faster and could even ride a bicycle. People often stopped her on the street asking, "Which hospital and what medicine cured your illness?" She answered, "I did not take any medicine, I practiced Falun Gong, and that cured my illness." The news spread quickly in the village. People thought that Falun Gong was a miracle. So many people came to Mother and asked her to teach them Falun Gong that she became very busy.
Mother never read any newspapers, books or magazines. However, I told her, "You must read the Falun Gong books; you are not a true practitioner if you only do the exercises." As a result, Mother put on her glasses and started reading Zhuan Falun. She said, "It is interesting, I love to read this book." She even tried to recite by heart some passages in the book. "The more I read this book, the more I love reading it." I was really surprised that she read the book so carefully. In order to teach others the exercises, she recited the book The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa, which explains the meaning behind the exercises.
After she started practicing Falun Gong, my mother's illness was cured. She could live and work normally again. Mother not only changed physically, she also changed greatly spiritually. She became more patient, more tolerant and less concerned about personal interests. She became more kind-hearted and always willing to help others.
Mother's changes touched everyone in my family. My father and younger brother learned the exercises also, and they often take every opportunity to introduce Falun Gong to others.
August 10, 2005
Category: Health Benefits