Our son, Harry, is very precious to us—we had been told that we would never have children. Although my husband, James, agreed that I could pray for Harry, he asked that I would take him in for medical checkups.

During a checkup last summer, Harry was diagnosed with a heart murmur. The pediatrician said that she heard something wrong with Harry's heartbeat, and she was concerned for him. While she stepped out to get another doctor to listen to the heartbeat, I began to pray.

I vehemently declared that Harry was a child of God, made perfect in His very image and likeness, as the first chapter of Genesis says. Then I spoke out loud to Harry, telling him how much God loved him and how every part of his being reflected the divine creator. I told him how he always existed forever as an idea in the universal Mind, forever free. Nothing about his being could be uneven, harmful, worrisome, or malfunctioning. I said, "Harry, God doesn't murmur to us, but speaks clearly to us of our goodness and perfection always, clearly, and in a way that we can understand." I just knew that Harry was free right then and there.

Our pediatrician returned with another physician and a nurse. After a few moments of listening, the other doctor pulled away and jokingly said, "I think the boy will be drafted." The atmosphere in the room just lightened up, whereas before it was heavy and dark. Our pediatrician continued to say that Harry would have to live with this condition throughout his lifetime. Instead of accepting this prediction, I was busy sticking with God. I just knew there was no problem with Harry's health.

Three months later Harry had a follow-up appointment in September. I prayed on the way to it: "Father, how can I let these caring people know that I am meeting Harry's needs through prayer?" The thought came to me that I just needed to demonstrate this wonderful and practical truth that Christian Science presents, and that that would be my explanation. If I was living my understanding of the truth, then the doctor would see it.

The doctor listened to Harry's heart. I realized that she was listening for the heart murmur that she had diagnosed during the summer. But as I said, I felt that a healing had taken place the day the murmur was diagnosed. As the doctor was listening, I realized that I had not thought of the heart murmur since that visit during the summer, because of my conviction that nothing imperfect can be found in a child of God's creating. I was confident the doctor wouldn't hear or find anything, and thanked God.

After many attempts at listening, she pulled away and told me she didn't understand it, but that there was no heart murmur anymore. She said she didn't hear it. "It is gone," she said. She couldn't explain it.

But I could. I felt God was giving me the green light to go ahead and tell these people how effective Christian Science treatment is, and I did just that. I told them why I feel prayer is indeed the best medicine that I can give Harry.

I am very grateful for this healing, and thankful that my husband has acknowledged it. He had always believed there were many hereditary heart problems in his family. But now there is no further mention of heart problems.

During Harry's last visit, the doctor made no reference to a heart murmur.

Heidi Skok Thorp
Glenmont, New York