Article September 29, 2003 Issue

FACING DOWN a Goliath with prayer

By Elda A. Meinhardt Tocchetto

FOR MANY YEARS NOW, I have learned to trust that God will help me when I need healing of health problems. Both small, everyday ailments and even huge ones—the "Goliaths" that could scare me because of their seriousness—respond to prayer. For example, one day when my youngest children were two and three, I felt a very severe pain in my head. My husband called a doctor, who determined that a vein had dilated in my cerebellum, causing an aneurysm. As a consequence, my entire right side was paralyzed. I could not move my arm or my leg. Also, one of my eyes was affected, causing double vision.

The doctor told me that for the rest of my life I should never lift any weight, nor make any kind of physical effort, because this could be fatal. He recommended that I receive daily arm and leg massages, which I did. I also was given daily eye exercises to do.

For a few months my husband was able to obtain a medical certificate so that I could be excused from my job. However, when he went to get it for the fifth time, because there had been no improvement in my condition, the doctor told him that next time he was going to give me a certificate or permanent disability.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Life in God's family