As a musician in a church in south China, a female believer tormented by tuberculosis has insisted on serving in the choir with a mask in order to prevent further infection. Born in the 1980s in Shandong, Danyang (pseudonym for safety reasons) has shared how she endured the four-year treatment, which was a very long lesson of patience rather than a miraculous healing experience.
As the first person to convert to the Lord in her family, her grandma repeatedly encouraged her children to attend church services. Danyang's mother finally decided to go along, as she is a blood daughter and didn’t want to make her mother angry. After listening to a sermon on God's creation by a pastor from Shanghai, her mother was converted. Later, Sister Danyang followed her mother in joining this church.
One of the most lasting impressions of church life for young Danyang was the family's involvement in the church Christmas program. Sister Danyang worked along with her parents, playing a large pedal organ in church while her mother and dad sang. Danyang studied music and has been involved in the local church organ ministry since graduating from the university in 2003.
Diagnosed with tuberculosis in October 2017, she spent the next two years getting injections, taking medicine, and getting X-rays without visible improvement.
During 2018 and 2019, she felt miserable every time she heard the doctor say: "The test results show no improvement", or: "Why is it getting worse again?" The examination itself was very painful. Blindfolding her, the doctor would insert a tube through her nose into the lungs to observe the condition of her lungs. She said that at this time she could not help but silently pray in her heart: "Lord, save me!"
Because her body developed resistance to the medication and the medicine that later replaced caused nerve damage, Sister Danyang began to suffer from stuttering and hand tremors, Her mobile phone often dropped to the floor.
As the medication was not effective, the doctors began to add intramuscular injections to the treatment plan. The muscle shots were given daily for the first three months and every other day for the next three months. Because the injections were so frequent, they ran out of places for shots. "Every time I took the bus, I had to hold my hand on the seat and halfways crouch because of the bumps in the road, since it was very painful to touch my needle wound."
In 2019, she felt that she had reached her limit. For a while, she found a hymn named "There is a Hope" that she played on a loop every day on the way home. This hymn brought hope to her in despair and she began looking forward to meeting the Lord beyond her own deep valley.
Finally, the situation took a turn for the better. After two years of treatment, she was introduced to another doctor who changed the treatment plan for drug resistance. Although the new medicine had serious side effects, the checkup was changed from once every two weeks to once every one or two months with normal liver and kidney functions.
As the side effects of the medicine became more pronounced, her hair turned white and her feet started to go numb. The skin on her body became darker and turned to a kind of fish scale.
"Another pain was when the needle went in for the injection and popped out again. After the injection, I had to press a cotton swab on the cut to stop bleeding for 20 minutes and I would come back with blood all over my clothes," she recalled.
Although it was difficult, Sister Danyang traveled to and from the hospital every day for medical appointments while working part-time as a home music teacher. She did not stop her church ministry and still went to church every week to play the organ and lead the choir during choral practice.
During her illness, she often shared the Gospel with others. In the last year on medication, she led a music lover, Xingxing (pseudonym), to faith in Jesus by sharing the Bible and giving her testimony. Later, Xingxing also joined the worship team.
One day at the end of 2021, the doctor finally told her that she didn't need to take any more medication. Danyang concluded that through this four-year illness she had deeply experienced that "when there is no hope, there is still hope through faith".
Today, Sister Danyang still has a lot of grey hair and her skin has not improved much. She still has problems with numbness in her feet. But none of this can take away her joy, and she feels renewed every time she worships God.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
丹阳姊妹（化名）在南方一个教会里做司琴事奉，80后，她曾经是一名肺结核病患者，四年的时间里面，在病痛的折磨下，却坚持带着病体到教会做司琴服事（丹阳姊妹去教会都会带口罩，很热的天气也是如此。虽然确定自己的病是传染性极低的阴性）
日前，丹阳姊妹讲述她如何熬过长达四年的治疗期。丹阳姊妹得到医治的过程，并非有奇妙的医治经历，而是一个非常漫长的忍耐的功课。
丹阳姊妹是山东人。外婆是家中第一个信主的，外婆信主后屡次劝勉自己的几个孩子一起去教会。而丹阳姊妹的妈妈是个孝顺的女儿，为了不惹外婆生气，就决定跟外婆去一次教堂。那一次聚会是一位上海过来的申牧师讲道，讲到了上帝的创造，妈妈听了讲道，从此就信主了。丹阳姊妹就这样跟着妈妈去了教会。
小时候的教会生活给小丹阳留下最深的印象是，一家人参与教会的圣诞节目。丹阳姊妹和父母合作，她负责弹奏教会里一台大大的脚踏风琴，爸爸妈妈演唱，曲目是平安夜。
丹阳姊妹是学音乐的，她从2003年大学毕业后走到哪里都会参与当地教会的司琴事奉。
说起折磨她四年之久的肺结核，她是2017年10月份确诊的，
刚开始的时候，因为医生说可以治好，丹阳姊妹也很有信心。虽然每天跑医院，打针、吃药，定期拍片。可是，忍了两年也没有好转。
2018年-2019年，每次检查医生给出的答案是："检查结果没有好转的迹象”，或者是“怎么又恶化啦？"一听到恶化，丹阳姊妹就很痛苦。检查本身也很痛苦的，医生会蒙住病人的眼睛，从鼻子里插一根管子到肺部，从而观察肺部的情况。丹阳姊妹说，这个时候，自己都会情不自禁地心里默祷：“主啊，救我！”
因为身体产生了耐药性，后来换的伤神经，丹阳姊妹又开始出现说话打结、手抖的症状，手机常常被自己摔在地上。
由于吃药效果不明显，医生开始在治疗方案中加上了打肌肉针（也就是屁股针）这一项。肌肉针，前三个月每天打，后面三个月隔天打。因为扎针太频繁，到处都是针眼没有可扎针的地方。对于丹阳姊妹来说，“每次坐公交车，因为路上颠簸手都要扶着座位半蹲起来，怕碰到扎针的伤口。特别痛苦。”
2019年的时候她感到自己来到了极限。有段时间，她发现了一首赞美诗，每天在回家的路上会循环播放。赞美诗的名字是《有一个盼望》。这首诗歌让绝望中的丹阳姊妹迎来了盼望，她盼望着在深谷中遇见主。
事情终于有了转机，经过两年的治疗，她被主治医生介绍给另外一个医生。医生改变了治疗方案。这位医生是专攻耐药性的，换了一些药。虽然新换的药副作用大，但是肝肾功能一直正常，后来检查两星期一次改为一、两个月查一次。
药的副作用越来越明显。头发变白，脚开始发麻，皮肤变黑，不仅是变黑，身上的皮肤已经变成了“鱼鳞状”。
“还有一个痛苦是，打针肌肉的时候也出现针头进去又弹出来，打完要用棉签按20分钟，回来衣服上全是血！”丹阳姊妹回忆说。
虽然很难，丹阳姊妹每天往返医院看病，还兼职做家庭音乐教师，同时，她没有间断教会的服事，仍然每周去教会司琴，并指导诗班练习合唱。
在生病期间，她也常常会去给别人分享福音。吃药的最后一年，一位同样有音乐爱好的星星（化名）姐妹在她的扶持下信主，她常常给星星姐妹分享圣经，分享自己信仰的见证。如今星星姐妹也一起到教会中参与敬拜服事。
2021年底的一天，医生终于告诉她不用吃药了。
丹阳姊妹总结说，通过这场病、这场持续四年的治疗，自己深深体会了 “在无可指望的时候，因信仍有指望"。
如今，丹阳姊妹的白头发还有很多，皮肤也没有太多好转，脚麻的问题也还是存在。但这些都不能夺走她的喜乐，每次敬拜上帝她都感受到生命的更新。
故事|一位司琴姊妹的医治路：带着盼望穿过四年漫长肺结核病的黑暗隧道
As a musician in a church in south China, a female believer tormented by tuberculosis has insisted on serving in the choir with a mask in order to prevent further infection. Born in the 1980s in Shandong, Danyang (pseudonym for safety reasons) has shared how she endured the four-year treatment, which was a very long lesson of patience rather than a miraculous healing experience.
As the first person to convert to the Lord in her family, her grandma repeatedly encouraged her children to attend church services. Danyang's mother finally decided to go along, as she is a blood daughter and didn’t want to make her mother angry. After listening to a sermon on God's creation by a pastor from Shanghai, her mother was converted. Later, Sister Danyang followed her mother in joining this church.
One of the most lasting impressions of church life for young Danyang was the family's involvement in the church Christmas program. Sister Danyang worked along with her parents, playing a large pedal organ in church while her mother and dad sang. Danyang studied music and has been involved in the local church organ ministry since graduating from the university in 2003.
Diagnosed with tuberculosis in October 2017, she spent the next two years getting injections, taking medicine, and getting X-rays without visible improvement.
During 2018 and 2019, she felt miserable every time she heard the doctor say: "The test results show no improvement", or: "Why is it getting worse again?" The examination itself was very painful. Blindfolding her, the doctor would insert a tube through her nose into the lungs to observe the condition of her lungs. She said that at this time she could not help but silently pray in her heart: "Lord, save me!"
Because her body developed resistance to the medication and the medicine that later replaced caused nerve damage, Sister Danyang began to suffer from stuttering and hand tremors, Her mobile phone often dropped to the floor.
As the medication was not effective, the doctors began to add intramuscular injections to the treatment plan. The muscle shots were given daily for the first three months and every other day for the next three months. Because the injections were so frequent, they ran out of places for shots. "Every time I took the bus, I had to hold my hand on the seat and halfways crouch because of the bumps in the road, since it was very painful to touch my needle wound."
In 2019, she felt that she had reached her limit. For a while, she found a hymn named "There is a Hope" that she played on a loop every day on the way home. This hymn brought hope to her in despair and she began looking forward to meeting the Lord beyond her own deep valley.
Finally, the situation took a turn for the better. After two years of treatment, she was introduced to another doctor who changed the treatment plan for drug resistance. Although the new medicine had serious side effects, the checkup was changed from once every two weeks to once every one or two months with normal liver and kidney functions.
As the side effects of the medicine became more pronounced, her hair turned white and her feet started to go numb. The skin on her body became darker and turned to a kind of fish scale.
"Another pain was when the needle went in for the injection and popped out again. After the injection, I had to press a cotton swab on the cut to stop bleeding for 20 minutes and I would come back with blood all over my clothes," she recalled.
Although it was difficult, Sister Danyang traveled to and from the hospital every day for medical appointments while working part-time as a home music teacher. She did not stop her church ministry and still went to church every week to play the organ and lead the choir during choral practice.
During her illness, she often shared the Gospel with others. In the last year on medication, she led a music lover, Xingxing (pseudonym), to faith in Jesus by sharing the Bible and giving her testimony. Later, Xingxing also joined the worship team.
One day at the end of 2021, the doctor finally told her that she didn't need to take any more medication. Danyang concluded that through this four-year illness she had deeply experienced that "when there is no hope, there is still hope through faith".
Today, Sister Danyang still has a lot of grey hair and her skin has not improved much. She still has problems with numbness in her feet. But none of this can take away her joy, and she feels renewed every time she worships God.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Moving Story of Church Accompanist Treated for Tuberculosis for 4 Years
