(Minghui.org) My name is He Xinyan, and I am 49 this year. I work at an oil company. I started practicing Falun Gong in 2006.

In my 30's, I had serious health problems. I was tortured by diseases and other ailments for years, including diabetes, prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc, nephritis, arthritis, and cervical erosion. I could not walk due the severe pelvic flow, and I often bled due to enteritidis.

No doctor was able to help. More than once I thought about ending my life.

In 2006, the nephritis got worse. Somebody recommended a female shaman to me. She treated me with acupuncture, which didn't help. But she also said, “I saw a halo in your house. There must be a Buddha there.”

There is no Buddha statue at my house. But my mother practices Falun Gong, so there is a portrait of Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, in her room.

On the way back home, I chatted with a taxi driver, who reminded me that a kidney transplantation would cost 300 thousand yuan (about 50 thousand U.S. Dollars).

I didn't have that kind of money, but I didn't want to die either. Then, the shaman's words flashed into my mind. Buddha? That must be Master Li Hongzhi. My mother had also been tortured by all kinds of diseases. Sometimes she had to crawl on the ground because she could not walk. But Falun Gong healed her.

She had recommended Falun Gong to me several times, but I didn't take her suggestion seriously. I had quickly scanned a few pages of the Falun Gong book, Zhuan Falun, and never finished it. Now, I would give it a try.

Just like that, with no further options, I started my journey of cultivating Falun Gong.

I found the book my mother had given me right after I got home. I read it twice non-stop. It was such a great book. I felt like a drowning person getting hold of a saving hand.

The book taught the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It taught me that the real purpose of being a human is to go back to one's true self. It taught me to look inward for my own shortcomings when running into conflicts with others. And it told me that the fundamental reasons of one's diseases is his or her karma.

I try to follow the principles I learned from the book, and no longer have a negative attitude towards others. I became happier, and less angry. The five sets of exercises also made me feel very comfortable.

Three months later, the nephritis and the problems in my back were gone, and the diabetes symptoms were reduced as well. All my pain was gone.

After another few months, my workplace had the annual physical examination for all employees. Every single index of my body was normal. I could not describe my feeling in words. All the ailments that had tortured me were cured without any drugs or surgery. No money could buy this happiness.

I realized that what I had obtained was a priceless treasure, and I was the happiest person in the world. I also came to understand why Falun Gong practitioners refuse to give up their belief in the face of severe persecution, and persevere in telling people what Falun Gong really is.

My coworkers also noticed the great changes in me. One of the obvious changes was that I quit smoking, which made them happy because they didn't have to suffer from the second-hand smoke any more. Another change was that I stopped fighting for my personal interests.

I used to have a short temper and could not let anything go. But now, I don't criticize my team leader, and always do whatever is assigned to me. When I see others get a bigger bonus for doing less work than me, I try to behave as a cultivator of Falun Gong, and not get jealous.

I try to forbear others, and treat them nicely. Sometimes, when my coworkers borrow my tools and forget to return them, I don't make a big deal out of it.

Another change was my appearance. I was pale and weak before, but now I am a healthy, pretty woman.

I believe that Master Li has saved my life in another way. One day at work, I mis-operated a pump, which caused a thousand-pound piece of metal to shift. The piece, about the size of a twin mattress, slid towards my head from above, and I didn't see it until it touched my helmet. I jumped out of the way, and at the same moment, the piece hit the ground.

The team leader saw the whole process, and was pale with fear. “What held that metal up for that split second so that you had a chance to run?” he asked. I then realized it was Master Li who saved my life.

I told my mother excitedly, and she also believed that Master Li saved my life. Recalling that scene, I still feel frightened. I am truly grateful for Master Li.

I am not a good writer or story teller. But I would like to tell others about my personal experiences, so that they will learn what Falun Gong really is. Maybe those who read my story will read the Zhuan Falun themselves, and benefit from it themselves.