At the age of sixteen, I was diagnosed with epilepsy after losing consciousness one day on the way to my friend’s house. After tests were done, I was told that I was subject to seizures, loss of consciousness, headaches, blanking out, lack of concentration.

Because I had relied on prayer for healing in other instances, I declined medical treatment and asked a Christian Science practitioner and my parents to help me through prayer. I felt confident that I would be completely healed.

The seizures continued for two years. Upon entering university, one of the conditions of gaining admission was that I had to take three tablets a day to reduce the risk of having a seizure. I consented to this, although I still continued to pray and rely on God. The tablets seemed to control the illness to some degree but it persisted to the extent that my family was very cautious about letting me cook or work in the kitchen. I would blank out and stare into space while I was in conversations with people and not even realise time had passed. I had migraines and spells of dizziness constantly.

In my third year, while I was working at a market research company, I decided to stop taking the tablets and to rely on God completely, with the conviction that He would keep me alive, no matter what. I no longer was scared of being on my own in “dangerous places,” like underground stations, in the event that I had a seizure.

In my final year, due to my growing desire to gain a deeper understanding of God’s laws and the applicability of those laws, I decided I would take Christian Science class instruction. I told my teacher about the ongoing dizzy spells and periods of semi-consciousness, and she supported me through prayer in preparation for the class.

One evening, a few weeks before the class, I experienced something so special. I was in my room sitting on my bed when I felt a sensation coming out of my ears. It was as if water were being released, but no water came out. I knew instantly that I was healed. I telephoned my cousins and told them, “I’m healed. I’m healed.”

I decided to rely on God completely.

I am unable to pinpoint the specifics of how I was praying for myself at that particular time, but I always held on to Jesus’ healings of the epileptic boy and lunatic man in the tombs as examples of being defiant to claims of evil spirits. (See Matt. 17:14–20 and Matt. 8:28–32.) I gained strength and hope from the fact that Jesus was unimpressed by the seizures or evil’s demands to be left alone. He knew who was Master and who was in control, and ultimately, the false spirits had no power to resist the command of Christ, or Truth, to come out of the boy and the man.

I was also inspired by several Bible verses such as this assurance from Psalms, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (118:17) and this promise from II Timothy, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (1:7). I also drew strength from many passages in Science and Health, particularly this one: “Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man” (p. 393).

A few months afterward, I had the opportunity to have a medical checkup called an EEG—the same test that had showed I had epilepsy six years earlier. It was confirmed that there were “no specific epileptic features.”

I give thanks to God for this wonderful healing. The prayers and support I received from practitioners, family, and friends meant so much to me throughout this period. In addition, I am grateful for all the lessons I learned, including the need for unwavering faith, persistence, and perseverance, as well as a progressive understanding of our God-given right to overcome all forms of evil. These lessons have continued to help me immensely through problems I’ve faced since then.