people tell their stories

Full freedom from a recurring injury

I love sports. Skiing and ice hockey are two favorites. In December 1972, I dislocated my shoulder in a skiing accident, and was taken to a hospital to have the shoulder reset. Over the next 16 years, I dislocated my shoulder several more times.

A couple of these times I was able to quiet my thought enough to pray, and after a few minutes of prayer, the shoulder went back into place. On other occasions, I had to go to a hospital to have the shoulder set by a physician. During and after each of these events, I prayed together with a Christian Science practitioner to strengthen and restore my shoulder once and for all, but because of the nature of the problem, it was difficult to measure progress, and I would all too soon stop praying specifically for this issue and move on.

The last time I dislocated my shoulder was in 1988, while playing ice hockey. I was very discouraged about my future participation in sports, and I went to a surgeon for an examination. He told me that because of my age and the amount of damage to my shoulder, there was nothing that could be done that would allow me to play hockey. He said that even if I played no further sports of any kind, an operation would have only a 60 percent chance of success. But he recommended that I proceed with the operation because, as he said, my shoulder was in such bad condition that it was likely to fall apart while I was just walking down the street.

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Testimony of Healing
'A change in human belief'
January 10, 2005
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