Destiny Changed: Woman Tormented by Illness Finds Unique Path to Wellness

Toronto resident and Canadian citizen Amanda Jia in a recent photo. (Yi Ling/The Epoch Times)

I was plagued with health problems from a young age. Over the years, I tried many treatments for my ailments but had little success. Because of my education, I refused to explore anything outside of modern medicine. However, it became obvious that modern medicine couldn’t cure me, so in desperation, I began to look elsewhere. That’s when I stumbled upon an entirely different and very powerful approach that led me to a life free of illness. The results were nothing short of miraculous.

This is my story.

Endless Health Issues Made Me Miserable

When I was about 5 years old, while on summer break from kindergarten, I went with an older girl in my neighborhood to a nearby elementary school to play, and there I saw a senior student playing with a sickle. In those days, sickles were used to cut wheat in rural China. I was curious, so I went closer to see. Somehow, the sickle slipped from the student’s hands and the wooden handle hit the bridge of my nose. My nose immediately started bleeding profusely.

Thus began many years of problems with my nose and ability to breathe. I already had trouble with airflow through my nose before, but it got even worse after the accident. On top of that, my nose and throat were full of thick mucus that I could neither swallow nor spit out. I even feel sick today just thinking about it. I don’t know how I lived through it. In my 20s, I underwent nasal septum surgery, but the result wasn’t satisfactory. I had to continue to rely on drugs to be able to breathe properly.

The author had to rely on drugs to be able to breathe properly. (Courtesy of Amanda Jia)

At the age of 30, I had a hysterectomy and contracted hepatitis C from a contaminated blood transfusion. The doctor who treated me said the virus usually causes cirrhosis of the liver. “You may only have less than 10 years to live,” he warned me. Despite taking various drugs, I didn’t feel any better and always felt weak.

Before the hysterectomy, I often had backaches. After the surgery, I began having pain in all my major joints. Sometimes it was so painful and itchy that I couldn’t sleep at night. Initially, the doctors couldn’t find the cause. Finally, I was treated for rheumatoid arthritis. I took a lot of medication, but it barely had any effect.

The author as a young child with her parents. (Courtesy of Amanda Jia)

Due to the pain and stress, I became extremely irritable and would easily get upset, even over little things. In addition, the side effects of the medication made me pale and thin.

I gave up hope of ever having a normal life.

Stepping Onto a New Path

I tried many treatments from Western medicine, but I still felt miserable. I had been educated in atheistic and materialistic beliefs from a young age, so I could not accept anything but modern treatment methods and concepts. When those failed me, I went on to try Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine, and all kinds of remedies. Nothing worked, so in desperation, I began to look for answers from qigong and Buddhism.

In 1995, when I was still living in China, my mother learned about an ancient Chinese practice called Falun Dafa, which consists of slow-moving exercises, meditation, and teachings. After practicing it for a few months, she felt excellent. She recommended it to me, saying it would improve my poor health.

Falun Dafa teaches truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance as a way to improve health and moral character and attain spiritual wisdom. All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available free of charge.

The conventional treatments the author tried for her many ailments didn’t help her, so in desperation she began to look for answers from qigong and Buddhism. (Courtesy of Amanda Jia)

At the time, my health was so poor that I couldn’t work and had trouble with even small amounts of physical activity. But I had heard of many miracles happening to Falun Dafa practitioners, so that gave me the confidence to give it a try.

At first, I couldn’t do the standing exercises for more than half an hour without being exhausted, and sitting in the cross-legged lotus position during the meditation was particularly painful. Fortunately, there were quite a few fellow practitioners in my neighborhood. We encouraged each other and shared our understandings to improve together. We watched the lecture videos by the teacher, Master Li Hongzhi, and read “Zhuan Falun,” the main book of teachings.

Gradually, I understood that the purpose of Falun Dafa is not for treating illness, which is caused by the karma one has created in this and previous lives. From reading “Zhuan Falun,” I came to realize that in order to eliminate my karma, I have to cultivate my heart, improve my moral character, and become a good person. So I made up my mind to practice diligently and to endure the difficulty of sitting cross-legged in the lotus position.

Falun Dafa practitioners meditate at Queen’s Park in Toronto, in September 2017. The writer immigrated to Canada in 2008. (Minghui.org)

Before long, I began to feel better. The persistent respiratory ailment I’d had for so long improved, and the mucus buildup in my nose and throat lessened and lessened until it finally disappeared altogether. Being able to breathe freely was an unbelievable relief. It gave me a new lease on life.

In fact, I experienced improvement in all aspects of my health—a variety of chronic illnesses disappeared without me really noticing it. My insomnia and fatigue also disappeared, and I often felt light as a feather.

My disposition improved as well. I have less anger and now get along very well with people and feel contented and easygoing. I am able to be kind and tolerant toward others. I also feel that my innate wisdom has woken up, and my thinking is much clearer and sharper than before.

With a healthy body and a calm mind, I was able to work again. I also went back to school and got a master’s degree.

Falun Dafa practitioners of the Tian Guo Marching Band participate in the Canada Day parade in Toronto on July 1, 2018. The author joined the Tian Guo band soon after arriving in Canada. (Minghui.org)

Of course, Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, is a discipline, so I need to constantly work to improve myself by the standards of the practice’s guiding principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

A Joyous Heart

Since I started practicing Falun Dafa 23 years ago, I haven’t had to see a doctor or take a single pill. Being a Falun Dafa practitioner and a true cultivator is the only way to go. It brings not only good health but also a joyous heart. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found this amazing practice, and my destiny has completely changed.

I immigrated to Canada in 2008 and soon after joined the Tian Guo marching band, which consists solely of Falun Dafa practitioners. I walked a lot when we participated in parades and didn’t get tired—my physical strength had improved so much that it was the same as that of others. Also, I was able to be out in all kinds of weather and wasn’t afraid of the cold anymore. These changes are something that I could only dream of in the past.

I am now in a new work environment. I am gaining new knowledge and skills, constantly broadening my thinking, opening my horizons, and improving myself in all aspects. I sincerely thank Falun Dafa for giving me a new life path.