Naomi Seed | "Miracle Healing"

Stephanie Ann
Jul 5, 2017
5 min read

I met Naomi through Flickr because our photography styles were similar. Although she was located in England, I pursued a friendship because there was something unique and kind about her. I knew as well that I'd be visiting the UK in 2013 and therefore considered collaborating with her when I was in her country. As the months passed before I was to come, I quickly learned about her illness.

She explained to me she had CFS, which stands for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I once knew an old friend with the same diagnosis and immediately sympathized. But it amazed me nonetheless that she managed to still push past that and go out for photography shoots of herself. Her self portraitures were amazing, telling stories of who she is that reminded me of myself. When I finally took a train from one location to another in England to find her, I knew we'd be friends for life.

Even though she was tired and ill most of my stay, she found time for me as best she can and I can remember the moments we would sit and talk about life together. After I left, we kept in touch until 4 years later when I returned yet again and was able to photograph her for her story. I witnessed her running around and spending longer hours with me this time and was amazed at the difference. I asked her to share her story with You Matter Stories and she wrote in... I'm here to share her words because I know it's a story that can encourage and inspire others to not give up and to keep moving forward no matter your obstacles.

"I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) when I was eleven years old. It kept me housebound for several years, and normal everyday things like going to school or meeting up with friends weren’t possible. It led to an isolated and lonely set of teenage years, littered with pain, depression, anxiety and missing out on pretty much all the experiences people go through at this stage of life. Some good, some bad; but experiences nonetheless.

After nine and a half years trapped in the confines of the illness, my patience was coming to the end of its tether. Things got a little better, but then I caught the flu which sent me right back to square one. Then in May 2015, Scott (my boyfriend at the time) heard about a Christian conference in Birmingham and felt like it was important for us to go. I felt pretty indifferent; I'd been to conferences and worship nights before, had thousands of prayers directed my way and I was still in the same place. However he was pretty insistent, so he, my mum and I made the trip down to the Birmingham.

The main day of the conference consisted of three sessions entailing a talk, worship and prayer. Still recovering from the flu and exhausted from the journey down the day before, I planned to go to the morning session, rest in the afternoon and then come back for the evening one. The morning session was good, but I didn’t really feel connected to anything. I already felt exhausted, and actually felt too ill to go back to the hotel we were staying in, so I had to just lie on the seats in the arena until the next session. Over the course of the day, my joints became excruciatingly painful, my head was hurting and I felt sick with exhaustion.

Finally it came to the evening session, and I was so burnt out that I didn’t really care about being there anymore. At the end of the session, they called people forward who wanted prayer for healing. I wasn’t even going to move, but Scott picked me up and helped me walk down to the front and began to pray for me. He had to hold me up because I felt so weak I could barely stand.

It was then I felt a bizarre instinct, almost like a voice telling me to step forward and kneel down. This was really strange, as although I have heard from God before, I had never experienced anything like this. But it was so strong that my feet pretty much stepped forward of their own accord and knelt down. I felt so broken that all I could do was say Jesus’ name over and over again; until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw one of the ministers from the conference smiling at me. He said,

“Do you realise you have been healed?”

I stared at him for a moment, not sure what to say. What do you say, if a stranger comes up to you and tells you something so ridiculous? He saw my bemused expression and laughed, then said, “When you stepped forward, you released your healing. You have been healed!”

I was still too dumfounded to speak, so I decided to stand up. As I stood up, I experienced the most bizarre sensation I have ever felt. My body wasn’t a dead weight, and I could stand up straight easily. My back, which had been in constant pain for years felt loose and at ease. The crippling fatigue which constantly weighed me down had disappeared. At that moment all I could do was burst into tears; I was crying so much it took about ten minutes for me to get any words out and tell Scott and my mum what had happened.

I walked around easily, without pain. I ran to the car, something I hadn’t done in nearly a decade, and I felt fine. The next morning I woke up, expecting it to have all been some bizarre dream, but there I was playing pool and singing loudly in the car on the way back without burden. I could look up at the sky for the first time in so long; light sensitivity had meant I needed to wear sunglasses every time I went outside for years.

From that moment, my life changed forever. I decided I wanted to go to university; so I got a job and studied for another A Level so I could apply. I applied, and now I’ve moved to a new city on my own and have just finished the second year of my degree. I’ve been halfway across the world on my own, and experienced so many things I dreamed of doing but never thought would be possible. And there has been no trace of illness holding me back ever since. God truly set me free.

However, for me there is more to this story than being healed from an illness. As terrible as that time in my life was, all those years of struggle, I actually wouldn’t take it back. Going through everything that I did taught me so much about myself, about life and about God. It has helped me to see things in a completely different way than I ever would have experienced; and now that I am able to do the things I dreamed of doing, I can appreciate them so much more. So although God transformed my body and my health in the most incredible way, I think the most valuable thing is the unique lens through which I see life now."

- Naomi Seed

Getting to know Naomi has been such a joy due to her happy spirit, positive outlook, and kind heart. Her family has taken me in during both my trips to the UK and treated me like one of their own. She is truly royalty and a story worth listening to. View her photo story here and feel free to visit our facebook or Instagram to stay tuned with You Matter Stories and the many more inspirational stories to come!