(Minghui.org) I became acquainted with a sixty-year-old woman last year. Prior to her retirement, she was a medical worker and had a loving husband. Their daughter was married and had a cute son. The older couple was quite wealthy and lived in a large mansion, to the envy of others.
Four years ago, doctors diagnosed her with hepatitis C and early stage cirrhosis of the liver. This diagnosis was a blow to the elderly woman, as she knew her chances for a complete recovery were slim. Medical treatment was available to help slow the progression of the disease, but the medication was expensive.
Thus, she sold her mansion and bought a small house. Over the next few years, she visited many well-known hospitals, spending around 500,000 yuan in search of a cure. The couple’s savings were almost depleted. To fund her treatment, her retired husband returned to work. The woman’s monthly medical expenses alone were a few thousand yuan, consisting of expensive medications and herbal supplements. However, her health continued to deteriorate despite her efforts.
By 2014, the woman was suffering from extreme fatigue and weakness. She couldn't climb the three flights of stairs to her home without stopping frequently to rest. Unable to cook, she resorted to ordering food delivery at times when her symptoms flared up. Despite her desire to maintain a clean home, she lacked the strength to do so, and could only clean small areas at a time while sitting on the floor. By this time, she had resigned herself to living on a day to day basis, with little hope for the future.
In summer 2014, she decided to have her home's interior walls painted while she could still physically move.
She happened to live in the residential area opposite our shop, and she was a regular customer. When she entered our shop, I was shocked upon seeing her appearance. Her face was pale and sallow, and she spoke in a weak voice. Through our conversation, I learned of her health condition. Sympathetic towards her situation, I explained Falun Dafa and the persecution to her and asked her to remember the words, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
Initially skeptical of my words, she was slightly moved after I described the benefits my friends and family had obtained from practicing Dafa. Finally, before she left, I walked her to the door and told her, “Just give it a try. You only need to recite these words silently within your heart. As long as you are sincere, you will definitely see improvement.” She smiled at me before walking out. However, I noticed that her footsteps were slightly more energetic, and her eyes were brighter than before, giving me hope that she had accepted my words.
A few days later, a practitioner from our store went to paint her walls. He took the opportunity to convince her to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, to which she readily agreed. A few days afterwards, she visited our store to borrow a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. I happened to have a copy on hand and lent it to her. Bearing the precious book carefully, she happily returned home.
A few days later, she gave away all of her Buddha statues and had the shrine within her home removed. She began to concentrate on studying the Fa. During this time, a few practitioners, including myself, took turns to play for her Master’s Guangzhou Fa lectures. After each lecture, we would teach her the Dafa exercises. She took our sessions seriously, listening intently to the lectures and copying our exercise movements with such sincerity and dedication that left us moved.
It was a hot summer, and most of us wore thin summer clothes. The elderly woman, in contrast, was so frail from her illness that she wore long-sleeved autumn clothes with thick woolen socks to insulate her body. However, on the third day after she started learning Dafa, she began to shed her layers of clothing, eventually donning her thin summer clothes. To her amazement, her body began to improve by leaps and bounds.
By the end of the nine-day lecture series (on DVD), she had stopped taking her medication and saw visible improvements in her health. She could now carry nearly half a kilogram of vegetables up the three flights of stairs to her home without pause.
With her confidence in Dafa bolstered, she began to study the Fa and do the exercises every day. She began to listen to the Fa lectures daily, coming by my store whenever she had questions. I noticed her cheeks were becoming rosier, her eyes brighter, and her skin lighter. Her spirits and optimism were rekindled.
The elderly woman also told her husband and relatives about her quick recovery after learning Falun Dafa. Her older sisters were also in poor health, and she told then to remember, “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” Having witnessed her recovery, her sisters agreed to try. Her relatives came to visit during the Chinese New Year and were overjoyed to see the change in her, as well.
Having witnessed her unlikely recovery, her husband became incredibly supportive of her practicing Dafa. Afraid of distracting her while she studied Dafa books, he would quietly close her door and adjust the television to the lowest volume. He also told her, “The biggest blessing you can give to me and our child is your continued good health!”