Testimony of Healing February 9, 2026 Issue

Full recovery after a fall

Celia Heathcote

I was on a two-week boating trip with my husband to celebrate our 46th anniversary. On the second day of our trip, I was moving large fenders around when the boat lurched, and I fell hard on my side. The pain was intense, and initially, I could not move.

Although I was able to help get the boat safely moored, it felt as if I might have cracked a rib, and internal functions seemed abnormal. Breathing deeply was uncomfortable, and I walked slowly and could sleep in only one position. I prayed and read Christian Science magazines that I had brought along on the trip. Through prayer, I tried to see more clearly my relationship to God, Spirit, and that I am spiritual, made in His likeness. But I wasn’t seeing any physical progress, and my condition seemed stagnant.

Up until this point, I’d had no idea how much and how often my husband made me laugh. He doesn’t go out of his way to be funny; he just naturally is. I suddenly noticed how much he made me laugh because I was feeling pain from doing so. He would catch himself and apologize—which I found painfully funny, too. However, it did help to uplift my thinking.

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