(Minghui.org) I developed femoral head necrosis in March 1998. Due to the interruption of blood supply to the bones, my hip joints were damaged and I lost the ability to walk. As my situation deteriorated, I could only crawl on the floor. I lost all hope.

In March 1999, my collapsed bones miraculously recovered just three days after I started practicing Falun Gong. The entire neighborhood soon became abuzz with this remarkable news.

Ms. Ma Zhongbo, top, and below, Ms. Ma Zhongbo and her daughter

After the persecution started in July 1999, I visited local police stations to clarify the facts about Falun Gong. I also went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. As a result, I was detained and tortured at the notorious Wanjia Forced Labor Camp for eight months.

As a woman, I was thrown into the male cell and severely beaten and tortured there. This caused me to develop a fever that lasted over 20 days. One of my breasts also became infected and festered.

I was released after being diagnosed with breast cancer. No hospitals would take me, as doctors saw no hope. With the help of Master Li and fellow practitioners, however, I fully recovered. It was truly a miracle!

My life is closely connected to Falun Gong, always and forever.

1. Disabled in My 20s and Waiting to Die

I'm now 42 years old. I live in the Acheng District of Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. After I developed severe femoral head necrosis in 1998, my family had to sell our house to pay for the medical bills. Despite the treatment, my situation consistently deteriorated. In the end, I was only able to crawl.

The pain in my bones caused many sleepless nights. Worse yet, the pain was not only present in my legs, but also affected my arms and torso. I couldn't hold anything and even needed help with eating and drinking.

Once, I dropped my bowl and the rice fell onto my bed. A family member was just about to ask me to be more careful. When she saw that my face was covered with tears, however, she immediately said, “It's OK.”

It was hard for me to believe that I would be disabled in my 20s.

My last hospital visit took place on February 6, 1999. My sister carried me to the second floor of the Northern Necrosis Research Institute. I looked up at the doctor from the floor, but he remained silent.

With slight hope, I asked, “Doctor, when should I come for my next CT scan?” Putting his best poker face on, the doctor replied, “Eight months.”

“Eight months!” I thought. My family was already broke, having spent so much on my medicine, and I didn't dare to go back home to live with my parents.

Living became such a luxury for me.

My husband decided to abandon me and my daughter. He knew that my situation was hopeless. I grabbed his arm and begged: “I know I'm going to die soon. We only have 4,000 yuan left. Let's save it for you and our girl. I need your care now. Can you please help me through my final days?” He refused and left with 2,000 yuan.

I was totally desperate. The severe pain haunted me all the time. I heard my parents whispering: “We cannot just do nothing and watch our child suffer. We can sell our thatched cottage for about 2,000 to 3,000 yuan.”

My brothers took turns carrying me if I had to go out. I didn't want my parents to exhaust all of their finances and to be such a burden for my siblings. I cried day and night. Oftentimes, I saw my mother's red eyes in the morning and knew that she had a sleepless night, too.

My mother sought advice from family and friends, but they all confirmed again and again that my disease was fatal. There was no solution.

2. Fatal Disease Cured, Family and Friends Astounded

Right before the Chinese New Year in 1999, my 80-year-old grandma sent me a message: “Come and practice Falun Gong with me. It's magic.” I didn't go. I didn't believe that Falun Gong could change my situation.

My grandma came to visit me during the Chinese New Year. That was on March 7, 1999, five days after my husband's departure and the lowest point of my life.

She asked me again to practice Falun Gong with her. I asked, “How can a qigong exercise help with bone growth?”

I looked at my grandma and thought: “She is 80 years old and still so healthy and energetic. I'm only 28 and dying! Why?” I decided to stay with her for a few days. After all, I grew up with her.

At her place, I opened a copy of Zhuan Falun. I was so attracted to the content within that I finished reading the book in only two and a half days.

The following principle especially touched my heart:

“Due to karma resulting from past wrongdoing, one has illnesses or tribulations; suffering is repaying a karmic debt, and thus nobody can casually change this.” (Zhuan Falun)

I realized that my situation was caused by the karma that I had accumulated in previous lives. I was then willing to listen to my grandma.

I joined the group exercise site. When we did the second exercise together, “Falun Standing Stance,” I was very tired and wanted to give up. However, I saw other people, many of them as old as my grandma, persisting to hold the posture.

I thought: “I cannot be a laughing stock among the elderly. I must finish the exercise today, even if I do not come here again.” During the group Fa study that night, I had pain all over my body.

The next day was a day I'll never forget. My cousin brought me water to wash my face. I was waiting for breakfast. Suddenly, I realized that my body felt light. I touched my legs; they felt normal.

I exclaimed, “Bring my shoes!” I put on my high heels and walked back and forth on the floor. I laughed and yelled: “I'm all right! I'm not feeling any pain. I am fine!”

All of my family staying at my grandma's were shocked. I heard them say: “Is this possible? Are we dreaming?” I took the washbasin out of the house, poured the water out, and then walked to the nearby grocery store to make a phone call.

I called my sister, who had helped me so much and even carried me to the hospital last time. In trembling voice, I told her, “I'm all right now!”

She responded: “Don't joke about this. Don't I know your situation?” I told her: “You know grandma doesn't have a phone line. I'm using the phone at the grocery store!”

When my sister realized that I was telling the truth, she became very excited. “How come your illness and your recovery are both so crazy!” she exclaimed. “How can you recover so easily from a fatal disease? Don't move. I will go and meet you right away!”

My sister took me to my parents' house first. They couldn't believe the news, but when I walked back and forth inside and outside of the house, they had to believe it.

My father made a remark that surprised everyone, “Isn't this [Falun Gong] the true Buddha Law?”

He told me, “Practice Falun Gong diligently!”

I stayed at my sister's for a few days and then returned to my parents. I was treated like a hero upon my return. All of the neighbors in my village witnessed the miracle that had happened to me.

Back when I had left home to stay at my grandma's, I wanted to hide away so people wouldn't see my miserable state. However, the entire bus saw me, and one of my neighbors was on the bus.

When I was standing and chatting with neighbors this time, she saw me again. She grabbed my arms and asked: “You are fine now? How? Can you walk?” She couldn't believe her eyes. She immediately dragged me to see her mother and told her about the miracle. Her mother decided to practice Falun Gong right away.

My news spread rapidly across all of the villages in my area like a fairytale. I told everyone that I recovered because of Falun Gong. Over 30 people soon arrived at my parents' house. Some were from other villages. They wanted to learn the Falun Gong exercises.

3. One Miracle After Another

My husband returned and took me home a month later. Soon thereafter, in July 1999, the persecution of Falun Gong began. I knew that my life was saved by Master Li, so I made up my mind to safeguard and practice Falun Gong for the rest of my life.

Master said:

“If you can let go of life and death, you’re a God; if you can’t let go of life and death, you’re a human—this is the difference.” (“Teaching the Fa at a New York Meeting” from Lectures in the United States)

I was the only Falun Gong practitioner in my village at that time. Many people had seen or heard the lies spread by the Chinese regime on the state-controlled media. I was rational when informing people about the facts of the persecution.

Initially, everyone in the village was hostile toward me. The village chief even publicly berated me on a radio broadcast. However, I kept calm and minded my behavior. The village chief later changed her attitude and even encouraged her sister and brother-in-law to practice Falun Gong. All village cadres also renounced their membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

I continued to witness one miracle after another:

Chronic Symptoms Disappeared

Upon hearing of my miracle, a middle-aged man came to learn Falun Gong. He had an injury at a construction site. The sequelae of the injury simply wouldn't go away. I told him that he needed to treat himself as a practitioner first and shouldn't be attached to whether his condition would be cured or not.

On the third day, his symptoms miraculously disappeared. He immediately did some physical work and verified that the pain was indeed gone.

Recovered From the Verge of Death

The mother-in-law of another villager was in critical condition. The family was told to start preparing for her funeral. I visited the woman and saw that her body was swollen. She wasn't able to urinate even with injections.

I said, “Do you want to practice Falun Gong?” She immediately replied, “Yes.” She was only able to do the exercises for 8 minutes. I then read Zhuan Falun to her.

After some time, she wanted to take a break. I told her to lie down flat on her back. She said she had not been able to do that for over half a year. She had been sleeping on her belly.

We did the exercises together the next day. On the third day, when I entered the room, she exclaimed: “Look! My belly is OK now! I can eat, drink, and walk!”

Seeing this, her daughter cried and said: “I wish you came here earlier so my mom didn't have to suffer so much! Falun Gong is so miraculous.”

Another Bone Disease Patient Regains Health

Another necrosis patient in Harbin learned of my story. She took a taxi to visit me and wanted to learn Falun Gong. She was in a hurry and had to leave after a short while. I gave her the Falun Gong exercise instructional DVD and a copy of Zhuan Falun .

I visited her later and saw that she was now perfectly healthy. Several members of her family and her sister's family also took up the practice of Falun Gong.

Facial Paralysis Cured

Chunbo is a member of my extended family. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 29. Surgery left him with facial paralysis, and his skull was severely disfigured after the operation. He needed help with eating, drinking and changing his clothes. The doctor said that he would only live for another 3 to 5 months.

He was the only child in his family. His parents spent all of their money to try to help him. However, the hospital wouldn't take him anymore, as doctors saw no point in further treatment.

Chunbo's parents finally came to me and asked if he could practice Falun Gong, too. They said, “We don't have any hope that he will recover, but we hope the exercises can help him live a few more days.”

After practicing Falun Gong for about 10 days, Chunbo completely recovered.

His family had been hostile toward Falun Gong in the past, due to the lies and propaganda spread by the Communist Party. However, their opinion completely turned around after witnessing this miracle. Some of them even started practicing Falun Gong.

There are more examples like this. Many people learned the truth about Falun Gong through my recovery.

(To be continued)