I am Zhang Fuqin, 72-year-old, and was a head nurse in the Second Hospital in Dongling District, Shenyang City. As a medical worker, I should have advocated science and used medical science to heal the wounded and rescue the dying. But I was obsessed with Falun Gong and lost five years in nightmare.
At the end of July 1997, I retired from the hospital. Since I often stayed up late for night shift, I was plagued by insomnia. I prescribed some medicine for myself, but the medicine did not work. In addition, I easily got fretful after my retirement. Therefore, I often quarrel with my family over trivialities. To alleviate my sufferings, one of my colleagues gave me the book Zhuan Falun, advising me to practice Falun Gong, which was said to be able to cure diseases without medicine or injection. The colleague also told me that the central tenets of Falun Gong were truthfulness, forbearance and compassion.
Since then, I went to a park nearby to practice Falun Gong with other practitioners. As I got up early in the morning on a regular basis, my insomnia was alleviated and my temper was better. As a result, I believed in Falun Gong, and practiced it hard. It took me less than two months to get obsessed with it.
In July 1999, Falun Gong was outlawed by the government. But I was indulged in it, believing that Falun Dafa was the supreme in the world. All of my family, friends and colleagues advised me to give up Falun Gong. But I regarded them as a devil bothering my practice and cultivation. I turned a deaf ear to their advice, and expressed my protest by beating, smashing and cursing. I even threatened that I would kill anyone who tried to stop me from practicing Falun Gong. So they could do nothing with me.
Afterwards, I had slight schizophrenia. My temper became worse than before and I was plagued by insomnia again. Due to the lack of sleep, I was absent-minded all day, and often murmured something to myself. One day, when I was at home alone, I took out our deposit book and burned them up at the cross road. My behavior made my husband shake all over with anger. But I said to him that our whole family will be able to ascend to the heaven when I achieve consummation and that all of our money and properties were merely worldly possessions.
One morning at the end of March 2002, I got up early to practice Falun Gong in a park. When I got home, I caught a bad cold since I had been in poor health as a result of long-time lack of sleep. I had fever with my temperature exceeding 39°C for three consecutive days. My family advised me to go to see doctor, but I refused to do so. I believed that it was test of my master, and that as long as I passed the test, I will achieve consummation. But I fainted at last due to the fever. I was sent to a hospital. Results of diagnosis revealed that my cold had developed into pneumonia, which may threaten my life without medical treatment. I came to myself after medical treatment. The sight of doctors and nurses around me brought me to my senses. I remembered that I had taken good care of my patients when I was a nurse and had been appointed as the head nurse due to my excellent performance. How I went astray after my retirement, I wondered. If practicing Falun Gong was able to cure diseases, why do we need doctors and nurses?
After I was released from the hospital, I burned down all of my books on Falun Gong. I have kept away from it ever since. Recounting the miserable five years, I felt scared. If my family did not take me to the hospital in a timely manner, I would have already died.
