(Minghui.org) I have a beautiful dress that I was dying to wear, but for nine years I couldn't. But because of Falun Dafa, I can now finally show it off. Here is my story.

I had a weak left knee from the time I was in middle school. It worsened over time and became a chronic condition called rheumatoid arthritis, a long-lasting inflammation in the joint. I used different heat pads and wraps to alleviate the pain and took antibiotics all year round to help manage the inflammation.

In just a few years, the inflammation spread to my hip and my left shoulder, despite all the medication. The antibiotics that I had been taking caused stomach problems. My doctor suggested that I try acupuncture, but two years of treatments didn't prove to be any help at all.

Desperate, I tried a folk remedy that called for smashed garlic applied to the joints and baking under the scorching sun during the hottest days of summer. That only made things worse—I ended up with painful blisters all over my knee and shoulder. The inflammation eventually spread to my gallbladder. I had trouble sleeping at night and often had nose bleeds.

I had tried everything I possibly could, but nothing seemed to work, and I gave up completely.

I had to stay warm to keep from triggering my symptoms, so I always wore extra layers of clothes. I wore a pair of thick snow pants in the winter and long sleeved shirts and long pants in the summer. Whenever it rained, I used a knee pad to keep my knee warm.

I so envied other girls in their colorful dresses during the hot months of the year. What young woman doesn't want to look pretty in a summer dress? But I couldn't even be in a room with a fan on without a jacket to protect my shoulder, let alone wear a dress.

A good friend of mine found me the most beautiful dress on her vacation in Beijing in the summer of 1989—it was my favorite color and style, and fit me perfectly. I fell in love with it instantly but could only dream of the day that I could wear it.

After I had owned the dress for eight years, a neighbor told me about Falun Gong and said it would help me with my arthritis. She suggested that I start by reading the main text of the practice, Zhuan Falun. As I read, I was drawn to its profound principles.

I had always thought that I was a good person, but I saw that I was far from Dafa's standards. I started to pay more attention to improving my moral character and tried to be a good person according to Dafa principles.

Gradually, I changed—I was no longer short tempered and became more considerate of others. I stopped arguing with others just to prove that I was “right.” Impressed, a family member said, “Dafa has changed you.”

I read the book and did the exercises diligently and felt better by the day. In less than a year, the arthritis that I had suffered from for 18 years was gone—I had no more pain in my joints. It was a miracle.

I finally took my beautiful dress off the hanger in the summer of 1998 and wore it for the first time. Since then, I have told many people the story of my beautiful dress and that Falun Dafa is good.