Return to alertness and freedom
More than 20 years ago, I fell down a flight of stairs after getting up during the night. My husband heard me fall and found me at the bottom of the staircase, unconscious and with some bleeding. Frightened by the situation and unsure if I was still alive, he called 911. By the time the ambulance arrived, I had revived somewhat, but was not behaving rationally. I was taken to the hospital emergency room and admitted. Based on my condition, no medication was given, but I was put on liquid nourishment and under close observation, since I’d apparently sustained a concussion.
I was conscious and talking, but not behaving like myself for the first several days. My husband had been told that I would be discharged when I was able to eat on my own. He had called a Christian Science practitioner shortly after the 911 call; and, since I was not relying on medication, the practitioner felt comfortable giving me specific Christian Science treatment. My husband, who is also a Christian Scientist, kept in touch with the practitioner over the next several days.
After about six days, I became aware of my surroundings and began to eat more normally. At that time, my husband wanted to take me home so that we could rely totally on Christian Science treatment in a comfortable home environment. He was unsure of how to proceed, however, since the doctor involved was revising his estimate about when I could go home. The doctor had begun to advise brain surgery, without which he said there could be dire consequences.
My husband then consulted a Christian Science nurse, who was invaluable in helping him work through the logistics involved in getting me discharged from the hospital. She helped him navigate forward steps and suggested that my husband might take me to my father and stepmother’s home to stay during the day, so that he could return to work without concern.
When I was in the hospital setting, I had been docile and easily deferred decisions to others, and that was definitely not my usual “style,” a cause of considerable concern for my husband. But almost as soon as I arrived at my dad’s home, that changed. My manner became more normal. (Both my dad and my step-mother were class-taught students of Christian Science and actively supportive of prayerful treatment.) I was able to read for myself immediately from the family’s Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. The practitioner and I talked regularly over the phone, and she reminded me of the spiritual fact that accidents never occur, are “unknown,” in the kingdom of God, where I have always resided (see Science and Health, p. 424 ). Simply filling my thought with the spiritual truths in the weekly Christian Science Bible Lessons was a great help in focusing on Truth. Progress was rapid. None of the dire predictions—which involved long-term issues and which, thankfully, my husband hadn’t shared with me earlier—ever materialized. Within a week, I felt ready to think about returning to work and was able to go home. I was also able to be alone during the day quite comfortably while my husband was at work.
Soon, I learned that I would not be allowed to return to work without a doctor’s clearance. I was dismayed. To add to this, the primary physician who had initially examined me would not see me since I had been discharged AMA (against medical advice). The Christian Science practitioner, with whom I was working, assured me that I could fearlessly follow through with finding a physician who would give me clearance to return to work. An idea in my class notes from my Christian Science Primary class instruction proved to be so helpful during this time of unease. My teacher had reminded the class that there is no mortal mind to see or think about us—that there is only one Mind—God.
As a result, I could know that the medical personnel could only reflect the caring and wise divine Mind, and see me only as God does. That is my only identity, and it could be their only vision of me.
My stepmother kindly agreed to accompany me to whatever doctor visits were needed, and we began the process of locating a doctor (and later, a neurologist) who would see me. I knew that my stepmother, too, was holding to the same spiritual truths about my identity as a loved child of God. An examination was obtained with both a doctor and a neurologist.
Both doctors pronounced me fit to return to work. The medical examinations verified that I’d experienced a mild hearing loss in one ear, but that was the only effect of the concussion that they could detect. Motor skills, language skills, and comprehension were normal. The process of obtaining clearance to return to work took a few weeks, but I was actually enjoying working in my rose garden and cleaning house. My return to work was uneventful and my activities, unrestricted. I realized that any frightening predictions never had reality, even as mental suggestion. The only memory loss I experienced was an inability to remember anything of the fall or of the hospital stay except the last day or so before I was allowed to leave the hospital.
I’m grateful to have felt so supported through prayer during this experience. Healings build on each other, and we gain confidence as we see impositions about our spiritual selfhood melt away. Each new proof of the power and presence of God has helped me grow, and my gratitude is limitless.
Virginia Pike
Charlotte, North Carolina, US
