Years ago in my early twenties I started working in a prestigious supermarket in Montevideo, Uruguay. A neighbor who worked there and had a good position had recommended me. The manager hired me for a job that included unloading very heavy boxes and bags (up to 110 pounds each) and then placing them in a cold chamber. 

Time went by, and back problems began, as well as other health problems. I went to see a doctor because I had moments of great pain. This did not result in any improvement, so I gave up medical treatment. There was one day when I was unable to get out of bed or even move. I went on to endure the pain for many years.

In 2008 I was diagnosed with a herniated disc; I associated it with those many years of doing a lot of lifting. A couple of years later, I became acquainted with Christian Science when my wife bought Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy at a street fair. After it sat on our bookshelf for a while, I read it—cover to cover. I began to find answers to many questions and started attending a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, in my city. 

Study of the weekly Bible Lessons from the Christian Science Quarterly and reading all of Mrs. Eddy’s writings as well as the monthly magazine El Heraldo de la Ciencia Cristiana helped me gain a better understanding of my unbreakable relationship to my Father-Mother God. I also attended many of the Christian Science lectures that were given here in Uruguay and took a two-week class in Christian Science healing from an authorized teacher. 

The herniated disc was still a challenge, but all of my study helped me pray and listen to God. Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health: “Disease is always induced by a false sense mentally entertained, not destroyed. Disease is an image of thought externalized” (p. 411).

Eventually I made a friend who worked with the sale of antiques and furniture online, and he needed more space. He found the right place, and when the time came for the move, he asked me to help. He didn’t have many options for people to assist him, so of course I said yes. 

It took us two weeks to do it, as it required much physical effort. Earlier, I had told him about my back problem, and at one point during the strenuous lifting, he asked me, “What about the hernia in your disc—where is it?” and I suddenly realized that all of the pain was gone. And it has never returned. Thank God! 

A statement in Science and Health says, “It breaks the dream of disease to understand that sickness is formed by the human mind, not by matter nor by the divine Mind” (p. 396). 

In my study of Christian Science, I had taken those words to heart. And they healed me.

Álvaro Vallarino
Montevideo, Uruguay