Young Practitioners' Tales: The Story of Dan Dan

A Falun Gong Practitioner in C

PureInsight | August 1, 2005

[PureInsight.org] Dan Dan is my 7-year-old niece. When she was born, she held both of her hands in the pose of the lotus hand. She had a very fair and translucent complexion.

When Dan Dan was almost one year old, her father, my elder brother, asked me to babysit Dan Dan and her older sister on the regular basis. One day Dan Dan's older sister asked to study Falun Gong's books, so I gave her a copy of Falun Gong. I held Dan Dan in my arms and sat next to Dan Dan's sister reading the book over her shoulder. Suddenly I found little Dan Dan was also reading the book with a very serious look. Especially when her sister turned to the page with Teacher's photograph, little Dan Dan began to coo and clap her hands excitedly for a long time. Then she heshi to Teacher's portrait and asked to hold the book. When we refused to give her the book, Dan Dan started to complain loudly in her baby language. I feared that Dan Dan might tear the pages so I gave her an everyday people's book. To my surprise, Dan Dan did not just want a book in her hands. She insisted on having a Falun Gong book. I had no choice but to present a copy of Zhuan Falun in front of her. Dan Dan stared at the cover of Zhuan Falun for a long time looking very excited, but she was very quiet as though she was thinking.

Shortly after Dan Dan's one-year birthday, something tragic happened. Dan Dan suddenly developed severe anemia and her life was in danger. When my brother and his wife took her to a hospital for a more thorough examination, the doctor told them that it might be pernicious anemia. They immediately took Dan Dan to a larger hospital out of town. After Dan Dan was admitted to the hospital, she was given a 100 cc blood transfusion and began to feel better. Soon afterwards, the hospital diagnosed her with iron deficiency anemia. Following the blood transfusion, the hospital started giving Dan Dan an iron supplement. However, children frequently have problems digesting iron. The iron supplement caused Dan Dan to develop gastritis. Although Dan Dan's life was no longer at risk, she developed severe indigestion because of her gastritis.

Shortly after China started to openly persecute Falun Gong in 1999, my brother left Dan Dan to the care of my mother and me. I was heartbroken when I first saw my niece. She was a pretty little girl, but the illness had turned her into a sickly creature with a large head, a willowy neck, a skinny body with a large abdomen. She had a bag full of prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter Chinese herbal medicine and western medicine. She was in agony each time she tried to have bowel movement. When she sat on the toilet, she would put her tiny hands on top of her little head and rub one hand against another hand violently to distract herself from the pain. She would be perspiring all over her small body but each time she could produce little stool. I was sad each time I watched her suffer like this.

My mother and I started to have Dan Dan listen to Teacher's Fa lectures on audiocassettes every minute of every day, even when she was asleep or was playing. As long as we played Teacher's Fa lectures, I had faith that Teacher would help her listen to the Fa. Each time my mother and I practiced Falun Gong exercises, Dan Dan would look very anxious, as though she wanted to practice Falun Gong too. Before we knew it, Dan Dan no longer suffered from indigestion and her abdomen has returned to a normal size. Falun Gong has restored her health. She often laughs with joy and looks as pretty as before!

In the latter half of 2000, Dan Dan frequently counted numbers to herself while she was playing. At first I wasn't paying attention, but then I realized she repeatedly skipped the numbers 7 and 10. We were puzzled and asked her for the reason. Dan Dan answered, "7 is a bad number. I don't want 10." No one understood her meaning. One day while my mother was doing housework, Dan Dan started counting numbers again. Again she said that number 7 was a bad number and she didn't want number 10. My mother thought for a while and suddenly understood Dan Dan's meaning. China started its persecution of Falun Gong in July (the 7th month) and escalated the persecution in October (the 10th month.) That is why Dan Dan felt those were two bad numbers.

As Dan Dan continued to grow, she suddenly developed hordeolum (infection of the eyelid margin) in her lower left eyelid at the base of her eyelashes. The hordeolum grew larger and began to discharge pus. My sister-in-law was frightened and insisted on having it surgically removed, but my brother did not approve of her decision. One day my sister-in-law brought Dan Dan to the hospital behind my brother's back to have it surgically removed. The doctor told her that the surgery would require anesthesia, which would have a negative effect on Dan Dan's brain development. But my sister-in-law could not stand the sight of the hordeolum and insisted on having it surgically removed. Finally the doctor agreed to operate on Dan Dan in two days.

Then a miracle happened before the surgery! My brother took the family out for fun before the surgery. When he took Dan Dan out of the car and closed the car door, the car door brushed against Dan Dan's face by accident and scraped the hordeolum off! According my brother, the sweeping of the car door was so precise that it did not injure her eyes at all! The scraping caused almost no bleeding. We cannot thank Teacher more for his immense compassion!

Dan Dan enjoys promoting Falun Gong and clarifying the truth about Falun Gong. One day when my brother was not home, I asked Dan Dan, "Would you like to go clarifying the truth with me?" Dan Dan said yes! Then we left home together. She was only four years old. Because it was dark, I gave her a piggyback ride to prevent her from tripping and falling during the trip. At first, my mother distributed the truth-clarification VCDs. Then I told Dan Dan, "Here is a VCD. Why don't you go give it to somebody?" Dan Dan took the VCD. Before she took off, she turned and said, "Auntie, I am afraid." I replied, "I will go with you." Afterwards, Dan Dan was no longer afraid.

When my brother has time, he drives us around to distribute truth-clarification material. One day we went to a farming village. As soon as we arrived, I gave Dan Dan some truth-clarification VCDs. She took the VCDs and approached the first household. Then she put down a VCD with both hands respectfully in an ideal location, but she was taking a long time to do so. Because it was during the daytime, because of my human attachments, I began to worry about our safety. I told Dan Dan, "Dan Dan, you are taking too longer. Hurry!" In the next household, Dan Dan was distributing the VCD in the same respectful but slow fashion. When I was about to hurry her again, I suddenly realized that she was doing the truth-clarification work very well because she was doing it with a very pure mind! In comparison, I was ashamed of my fear for safety. Dan Dan's mind is so pure!

Last winter Dan Dan noticed that I have a large supply of "lucky pouches" that contain truth-clarification messages. She took a dozen of them and distributed them. Later I asked her if she had any "lucky pouches" left. She said, "I have a few left. Some people would say thank you when I offered them the 'lucky pouch!'"

There are many stories about my niece Dan Dan that I would like to share. Watching the transformation of my niece, my family and I cannot but say with an immense gratitude, "Thank you, Teacher! Thank you, Falun Gong!"

Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/7/17/33103.html

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