My paternal grandfather was a Christian Scientist whose eldest son died young (in his late teens/early 20s, I believe) because his father refused to send him from India (where the family were based for his work as an engineer) to England for heart surgery (Letters, 13 August).
My father contracted polio in Malaya at the age of 19, and was sent home prostrate. He was unable to move much more than the fingers of his right hand. My grandfather told him: “If you pray, you will walk.” My father threatened to scream until he got the best physiotherapy and medical help available, did so, and until he died 36 years ago, he was able to walk, drive and work – albeit with a caliper and stick and with much reduced motion on one side of his body.
I don’t feel that Mary Baker Eddy helped this family very much.
Lucy McPhail
London
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
