(Minghui.org) My name is Rao’e and I’m an acupuncturist and a Falun Dafa practitioner. I’d like to tell you about my friend Maria Suzana, a ninety-five-year-old Brazilian woman who recently survived a life-threatening situation.

Maria and I met each other in 2003 when she came to see me about her heart problem. She was born with heart issues that caused poor blood circulation and muscle pain throughout her life. I told her about Falun Dafa. She was impressed by Falun Dafa’s principles and said that people needed them. She said that people had drifted away from God. These days, people's moral standards are low, and she felt that this caused many problems in society. After I told her about Falun Dafa, Maria always said, “Falun Dafa is great” every time she came to my office.

Maria says that repeating “Falun Dafa is great” saved her from danger.

Maria is a widow with no children. She lives by herself. Her nurse told me that Maria didn’t like too many visitors. However, she welcomed Falun Dafa practitioners to come to her house to study Zhuan Falun with her. We finished reading the book together after a couple of months. Each time we finished reading a lecture she said, “The book said it so well! It’s very profound!” 

Maria had some hesitation about doing the Falun Dafa exercises at that time, so she didn’t take up the practice, but her health improved nonetheless. One of her relatives said after visiting her, “I haven’t seen Maria for a long time. I’m amazed she could run to the door!” Her relative said that Maria used to move slowly, like a typical person in her 80s.

After her health improved, Maria started traveling overseas. It wasn’t until she turned 92 that she began to take a relative with her on her trips. Her mind is clear and quick.

As the pandemic spread to Brazil in March 2020, the government ordered a shutdown. I stayed home for 2 weeks. It was the first time Maria was angry with me. She said, “You are a doctor. How can you abandon your patients?” I was stunned at first, but immediately realized she was right. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I was responsible for offering salvation to sentient beings. I apologized right away. Ever since then, I never stopped talking to people about Falun Dafa, and exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) crimes.

The day after Maria’s nurse came to cook and clean for her, the nurse tested positive for Covid-19. She was sent to a hospital days later, and passed away. Maria remained healthy. She told me, “My heart echoes with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I wasn’t worried, I kept repeating, ‘Falun Dafa is great!’” 

Maria also tells her friends and relatives to stay away from the CCP. One of her nephews is a renowned doctor and was invited by the CCP to travel to China for free. Maria advised him not to go. Her nephew eventually couldn’t make the trip due to illness.

Maria had a heart attack in January 2021. She was rushed to a hospital, and stayed in the ICU for 15 days. She gradually recovered. When I visited her at home she told me, “I never forgot ‘Falun Dafa is great’ for a moment. I’m sure I was protected from real danger this time!” She looked weak and still had some pain. I told her to continue repeating the words.

I went to see her again a few days later, and found her as normal as she could be. Looking through the Minghui Weekly I brought her, Maria praised traditional Chinese culture. She pointed to a picture of the Temple of Heaven and said, “In traditional Chinese culture, it’s very important to respect and show gratitude to Heaven. People today have forgotten this. It’s so sad!”

Maria solemnly asked me, “Could you come back in a few days and teach me the exercises?”