When I was 17 I had pleuritic, and the doctor told me that I would probably never have my own child. Later I started believing in the Lord, and to my surprise, I got pregnant after marriage. At that time, my whole family were expecting the coming of this child. In 1997, my daughter was born, which brought us great joy. I, while immersed in the happiness of being a mother, gave my thanks and praise to the Lord for His blessings. At that time, my daughter meant everything to me, on whom I placed all my hopes.

However, good times didn’t last long. When my daughter was 6 months old, she began to cough every now and then. Sometimes it became so serious that she would cough every few minutes and wouldn’t stop until 2 or 3 minutes later, during which she cried loudly with face turning purple. I wanted to hold her but didn’t dare to, because I was afraid she would suffocate if she couldn’t catch her breath. Therefore, I could only hold her after she stopped coughing and her breath turned steady. Seeing my baby girl tortured by the disease made my heart distressed. I couldn’t eat or sleep properly, living in the fear of losing her.

At first I took my daughter to the village clinic for treatment. Yet her condition not only didn’t turn better, but became even worse. Later, we visited all of the county hospitals, but none of them could treat my daughter’s disease. The doctor suggested that we should go to the city hospitals. I thought: “The city hospitals must be better-equipped than the county hospitals though the treatment fees they charge are much higher. As long as my daughter can be cured, I’m willing to pay any price, or even bankrupt ourselves.”

It was the season for farm work at that time, but my husband and I had no thoughts for that. We borrowed 20,000 yuan and took my daughter to the city for treatment. But to our disappointment, none of the hospitals we visited had a cure for my daughter’s disease. A doctor said to me, “Your daughter has pertussis, which is a very rare disease now. How could she get that? Nowadays, few doctors have dealt with such cases and there is virtually no cure for it.” This news hit me like thunder from a clear sky and I became extremely weak right away. “Then what should we do?” I asked the doctor, crying. “Isn’t there any other way to cure my daughter? Please save her! I am begging you. Please …”

Looking at our infant daughter, my husband and I were heartbroken and couldn’t stop tears from flowing. Despite what the doctor said, I repeatedly told myself: “If this hospital can’t treat my daughter’s illness, then we’ll go to another one. As long as there is a chance, I won’t give up!”

So, my husband and I continued visiting other hospitals, but all we got was bad news. A doctor told us: “You need to prepare for the worst, because your daughter’s illness is very hard to cure.” Fearing that my daughter’s disease would be transmitted to the others through breathing, they asked us to leave the hospital immediately. These continuous blows threw us into deep grief and we were at a complete loss. Looking at my daughter’s sweet face, I thought to myself: “She is so small. Am I really gonna lose her?”

At that time, we almost ran out of the money we borrowed and had only 50 yuan left, which could barely cover the examination fee. In order to not delay our daughter’s treatment, my husband and I decided to take her to another hospital for an examination first. If the follow-up treatment required more money, we then went back home to borrow some from our relatives. And so, with the only 50 yuan we had, we went to the most famous hospital in Jilin City. However, the words of the doctor there shattered the last spark of hope in my heart—“Your daughter is in a critical condition now and she could die at any time. I’m sorry we don’t have the medicine for her disease. You’d better go to other hospitals.” Hearing this, I thought: “We’ve been to all the other hospitals in the city. Where else can we go?” So I asked him, “Do you know which hospital can treat my daughter’s disease?” “I’m afraid none of the hospitals can,” answered him. Seeing that we didn’t have the intention to leave, the doctor pushed us out of his office so that he could see the other patients. Not knowing where we could go, I stood outside the doctor’s office crying with my baby girl in arms. My husband took us in his arms, shedding tears in silence. For a moment, the three of us were enveloped in despair and helplessness.

When I was at my most miserable and hopeless, I remembered the Lord Jesus, and then I earnestly prayed to Him, telling Him my real difficulties, “Dear Lord, my daughter is going to die. What should I do? You are the Lord with great power. You once performed many miracles, making the lame walk, the blind see, and lepers be healed. Please save my daughter!” After the prayer, I recalled the following verses in the Bible, “And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said to them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleeps. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose” (Mat 9:23-25). I thought to myself: “The Lord has authority. Since He could let that girl rise again, He can also save my daughter. I should entrust my daughter’s life to Him.” With this thought, my heart felt a little more tranquil and I had confidence in the Lord.

Just then, the doctor came out of his office. Seeing me holding my daughter crying, he asked, “I’ve told you to leave. Why are you still here?” “We’ve been to all the other hospitals in the city. Where else can we go?” I said. “My daughter needs treatment. I can’t just go home and watch her die.” Hearing me say this, he patted his thighs and said, “I forgot that you’re not familiar with this place. I know there is an infectious hospital which may help you. You can go there and try your luck.” So saying, he asked us into his office. I told him, “But we only have 50 yuan now. How much will the treatment cost?” “The deposit is 1000 yuan,” said he. Hearing this, I became so anxious that I couldn’t stop my tears. Yet to my surprise, the doctor passed me a piece of paper and said, “Take this to the director of that hospital. We were classmates.”

In that moment, there was an unspeakable feeling that moved my heart. I knew it was the Lord helping me through the doctor after He heard my prayer, so I was filled with gratitude to Him. After expressing our thanks to the doctor, my husband and I hurriedly took our daughter to the infectious hospital.

As soon as we arrived there, I saw there were doctors waiting for us at the gate. It turned out that they had received a call from that doctor and got everything ready. Immediately, my daughter was wheeled into the emergency room, and a few hours later, she was out of danger. The doctor said to me, “Don’t worry. Your daughter is fine. She just needs to stay in the hospital for a month.” Hearing this, I cried tears full of emotion while constantly giving thanks and praise to the Lord for His love for us.

Later on, my daughter got better day by day. The Lord is really almighty! If it hadn’t been for His miraculous arrangements, my daughter wouldn’t have survived. Recalling how a miracle happened when I prayed to the Lord at my wit’s end, I deeply appreciate that only the Lord is our strong support.