Child healed of medically diagnosed skull abnormality

At the age of seven months, our son, Austin, was diagnosed with a deformed skull by his regular pediatrician. It was a visible deformity, evident just by looking at him. At the time, although I’d grown up attending a Christian Science Sunday school, I didn’t consider myself a student of Christian Science and relied solely on medical care for both our children. I’d drifted away, partly because I was reluctant to trust prayer-based Christian Science treatment as a reliable means of care for our young daughter and newborn son.

The pediatrician told my husband and me that Austin’s skull was not expanding properly, and he was concerned because he said this problem could affect our son’s mental capacity. He referred us to a specialist, a plastic surgeon who could perform a procedure to correct the visible abnormality, as well as prevent future difficulties. The plastic surgeon talked to us about the procedure he believed Austin would need, a surgical procedure that would be invasive and risky. But if it wasn’t done, he said, our son could begin showing signs of mental retardation. Before leaving the office, my husband and I scheduled our son for preoperative testing, including an MRI at the local hospital.

Months earlier, a family member had given me a fresh copy of Science and Health. I was about halfway through reading the book when this surgery was recommended, and I decided to take the book with me when I took Austin for his preoperative testing. Since I knew the testing would take a while, I thought the book would be good company. Besides, it was just small enough to fit into my purse.

As I was sitting in the waiting room reading Science and Health, soaking in all its wonderful spiritual truths, I actually heard something like a voice speak directly to me. I knew in my heart that it was an angel, a message from God (see Science and Health, p. 298). It communicated to me that I didn’t need to fear, because Austin was God’s child, and I could trust him completely to God as his true Parent. Something deep within me knew that God was in control of Austin’s life. I also clearly felt the presence of God’s love and a deep sense that God was with me, and with my son. What I’d heard was simple, yet profound. Looking back, I would now identify it as the Christ—the healing and saving message of God’s love.

The drive home that day was calm, and I was filled with hope. When Austin and I arrived home, my thoughts were still on God and the beautiful message I’d heard in the hospital’s waiting room. As I stepped in the door, I received another similar message that Austin, as a child of God, created in His image and likeness, was already complete and perfect. At that point, the fog of fear I’d been carrying around totally lifted, and I could perceive Austin’s spiritual identity as God’s child, without deformity. I knew that was the true reality of his being, no matter what the diagnosis was, no matter what the physical evidence suggested. Science and Health mentions, “Mortals are not like immortals, created in God’s own image; but infinite Spirit being all, mortal consciousness will at last yield to the scientific fact and disappear, and the real sense of being, perfect and forever intact, will appear” (Science and Health, p. 295). That passage meant to me that the mortal picture of physical abnormality I was seeing couldn’t last and had no permanency. Since the spiritual substance of Austin’s being was already whole and intact, he couldn’t include any defects.

Less than two weeks later, we had another appointment scheduled for Austin to see the plastic surgeon and to view the test results from the hospital. But when we arrived at the surgeon’s office, the staff there told us that the hospital had never sent over the results. One of the employees even called the hospital to locate the tests, but was unsuccessful.

Since the day I received the angel messages from God in the hospital’s waiting room, I’d never looked for any visible change to Austin’s skull since his spiritual perfection was so real to me. But right then, I looked at Austin and noticed no deformity at all—just a completely rounded and normal skull. In deep gratitude, I realized that tracking down the missing scans was unnecessary. After telling the receptionist I’d reschedule, we left the office without pursuing the matter further.

That same day, my husband recognized the change in Austin’s skull and was amazed. But because I hadn’t told him about Science and Health or the spiritual messages I’d been receiving, he was baffled about what had caused the change.

A couple of weeks later, Austin had a follow-up appointment with his pediatrician, and I took him out of respect for my husband, who knew nothing yet about how our son’s “miraculous” healing had come about through prayer. When the pediatrician saw Austin, he was amazed! I remember him running his hand from the front of Austin’s head to the very back and saying, “His skull is perfect, and I’ve never seen anything like this correct itself on its own.”

What the doctor went on to tell me about my son’s healthy and normal condition, I already knew. I’d already felt the healing was complete and didn’t expect anything less. My heart was bursting with joy and gratitude, and I knew I’d rediscovered something truly wonderful in Christian Science. I couldn’t wait to finish the last half of Science and Health, so I kept reading it and eventually shared it with my husband. That was the first time I’d read the book from cover to cover. To say it was rewarding would be an understatement.

Austin is in third grade now. He swims, rollerskates, plays video games, and loves going to school. He’s a happy and healthy boy, who’s very active.

Our family now studies Christian Science and attends a local Christian Science church. Since this experience, we’ve had many other healings through prayer alone, including my daughter’s healing of deafness in one ear, healings of flu symptoms and allergies, protection from accidents, and restoration of broken relationships. Our family knows that prayer works. We can safely and confidently trust our needs to God.

Catherine Baker | Homosassa, Florida, US