(Clearwisdom.net) I am a first-year PhD student at Purdue University. My study subject centers around marriage and family issues. To talk about how I learned Falun Dafa is of greatest importance to me. I still can't suppress my happiness in having attained Falun Dafa.

Shortly after the 2004 Chinese New Year, I began to suffer from finger and wrist pains, which appeared to be similar to tendonitis. The doctor from the university diagnosed this as a kind of wrist syndrome, an affliction suffered often by computer operators. I went on medication, but instead of finding relief, I suffered from side effects of the medicine. I had stomachaches. At the end of February, the pain radiated to my shoulders. In early March, the piercing pains on my upper back and knee woke me around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. The university doctor could not diagnose my affliction. He referred me to a doctor specializing in Rheumatology and Immunology at a local and more prominent hospital. The doctor thoroughly checked me over, but could not diagnose the problem. He suggested that if the symptoms would last for three months, it most likely would be some kind of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Such uncertainty affected me deeply and my condition worsened.

I frantically surfed the Internet for all available information on arthritis. My research showed that my symptoms most closely resembled a certain kind of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I even became unable to hold chopsticks tightly. Nevertheless, I kept sending many e-mails to doctors specializing in Rheumatology and Immunology at large hospitals throughout Taiwan, seeking answers. Most of them responded that, "you might have rheumatic arthritis, but we cannot diagnose without seeing you in our office in Taiwan." Such news made me very unhappy.

My condition continued to deteriorate and I found it difficult to walk. This worried me deeply. I understood that there was no known Western or Chinese cure, nor medication in the market for Rheumatoid Arthritis. It typically attacks the joints first. Joints may deform severely, then, it may attack the heart. After several years or decades, the patient may die or suffer from continued pain. My parents are close to 60 years old: they had to support themselves and my younger brother and sister with their limited pension. It would be a big burden on them if they were to pay the medical costs caused by my disease. I thought of suicide. I decided to travel to the Grand Canyon. There I panned to end my life by jumping down from a cliff. I wrote a will and searched the internet at the same time to book a ticket to the Grand Canyon. At that time, I was full of despair because of the pain I was suffering.

I took a final look at the materials I collected from the Internet about Rheumatoid Arthritis. Suddenly, something caught my eye. I found the posting from a website stating, "a miraculous cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis." I quickly skimmed that article. It was an experience-sharing article from a Dafa practitioner in China. I harbored great doubts. Could this be true? Then I viewed all articles on that website. I read that cancer, bone proliferation, and other strange diseases were cured through practicing Falun Gong. Great hope rose in my heart. I thought that I should study Falun Gong as soon as possible if it is so miraculous. I searched the Internet using the keyword Falun Gong. I found from the Hong Kong website links to websites worldwide. From there I found contact points at many universities in the USA. They offered free Falun Gong lessons. How astonishing, the Falun Gong volunteer assistant at Purdue University was a westerner! I instantly e-mailed and called him but could not reach him. I wondered if he had graduated.

I was at a loss, but I kept searching. I found on the Hong Kong Falun Gong website the instructional videos for the five sets of Falun Gong exercises. Following the suggestions of fellow practitioners, I listened to the 9-day lectures of Teacher Li on the Internet. I downloaded and printed the book "Zhuan Falun." I read through once.

After reading "Zhuan Falun" for the first time there were many questions in my mind. Terms, such as Law Body and the Third Eye sounded to me as rather superstitious words. But by following suggestions from fellow practitioners I found on the website, I learned that Zhuan Falun teaches people to do good deeds. This book answered many questions I could not find in the teachings of other religions. When watching videos of Teacher's lectures, I fell asleep at the beginning. Yet, I was deeply impressed by Teacher's smile and tireless efforts in teaching people to be good people. What's so amazing, the second night after I learned the exercises and I formally started practicing, I generated a lot of heat and had to kick my quilt of my body. The following day, my terrible bad breath from the illness disappeared. The third day, when practicing the "Holding wheel in front of the stomach," I really felt something rotating in my stomach! I thought it was an illusion. But this feeling continued daily. I had to admit that the Falun rotation was true.

I practiced more diligently. Now I could sleep well and had a good appetite. I gave up the idea of suicide. I decided to go back to Taiwan because I did not want to bother classmates at Purdue too much. I hoped again! I knew that there were many Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. I hoped to learn from them the exercise details. I arrived in the evening of April 13, 2004 in Taiwan in a wheel chair, and returned home at about 11 p.m. At 5 a.m., on April 14, I went to the practice site at the Agricultural and Industry School of Taoyuan to practice with fellow practitioners. Brother Guo very kindly taught me the exercises.

In the morning on April 15, 2004, my parents brought me to the Changgen Hospital at Linkou to see a doctor. By supersonic test, combined with previous blood tests, two medical professors diagnosed my disease as Hypermobility Syndrome (recurring pains in a number of joints). Doctors told me that I would, for the rest of my life, suffer pain. They told me that I couldn't lift any heavy items or do heavy labor. I was told that I would be dependent on painkillers for the rest of my life. After leaving the doctor's office in the wheel chair, I remembered to tell my parents that I wanted to practice Falun Gong!

That same day, my father bought me a copy of Zhuan Falun. While I was reading Zhuan Falun for a second time, I practiced even harder. I completely ignored the drugs I had brought home from the hospital. In the evening on April 16, I went to a Falun Dafa study seminar on my crippled feet. On April 17, around 4:30 a.m., I looked at the health column on the Minghui website (Clearwisdom.net). I remembered a fellow practitioner's words: "If you could walk to the practice site you wouldn't have to bother your father." So I walked in small steps to the Taoyuan practice site. Fellow practitioners were all happy to see that.

On April 19, I joined a new session of the 9-day Falun Gong lecture. Red dots appeared on my neck, accompanied by unbearable itching. I ignored them and practiced the fifth exercise sitting meditation whenever I felt the itching.

On April 28. The red dots on my neck had disappeared since yesterday. Though, I could still feel some pains in my knee, I could already walk like a normal person. In the beginning I could only do the fifth set of exercise for 10 minutes. Now I can do it for 50 minutes. My third aunt, third uncle and my mother's friends all began to practice Falun Gong after seeing my changes.

I want to shout: "Falun Dafa is good!" The slandering of Dafa in Mainland China's media are all lies that have deceived many people. Now, as I have been most fortunate to become a Dafa practitioner, I will practice diligently. I will try my utmost to let more people know the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Many Thanks to our Great Teacher! Thanks, all fellow practitioners!