Boy Dying of Polio in Iron Lung Recovers After Apostolic Blessing

Elder Matthew Cowley was called to Salt Lake County Hospital by a mother whose young boy — about eight or nine years old — was dying of polio. The child was unconscious in an iron lung, his face a blackish color, with tubes in his throat and abdomen. He had been flown in from an outlying community.

Elder Cowley went with a young bishop whose faith he greatly admired. As he laid his hands on the boy's head, Cowley sensed powerfully that this was an unusual child of great faith. Drawing upon that faith, he blessed the boy and promised he would recover.

Weeks later, Elder Cowley stopped by the hospital while passing through on his way to a conference. The boy came running down the hall to meet him. He still had a tube in his throat, but was up and moving about, fully alert. He thanked Elder Cowley for the blessing and, entirely on his own initiative, asked Cowley to bless two other boys in the ward before he left. He was fully well within a short time.

'Except ye believe as a child, you cannot receive these great blessings,' Elder Cowley remarked afterward.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

A few weeks ago I was called to the County Hospital in Salt Lake City by a mother. I didn’t know her. She said her boy was dying from polio, and she asked if I would come down and give that boy a blessing. I picked up a young bishop whom I generally take with me, for I think his faith is greater than mine and I always like having him along. We went down there and found this young lad in an iron lung, unconscious, his face rather a blackish color, with a tube in his throat, and they said he had another tube lower down in his abdomen. He had been flown in from an outlying community. The mother said to me, “This is an unusual boy, not because he’s my child, but he is an unusual boy.” I think he was eight or nine years of age. After they put the usual coverings on us, we went in and we blessed that boy. It was one of those occasions when I knew as I laid my hands upon that lad that he was an unusual boy and that he had faith. Having faith in his faith, I blessed him to get well and promised him he would recover. I never heard any more about him until last Saturday. I was on my way to Murray for a conference, and I dropped in at the County Hospital. As I walked down the hall, out came the boy running to meet me. He ran up and asked, “Are you Brother Cowley?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “I want to thank you for that prayer.” He still had a tube in his throat, but he was up and moving about. He was fully alert. He said, “I want to ask a favor of you. Before you leave the hospital, will you go and bless two other boys in the ward?” He was fully well within a short time. Except ye believe as a child, you cannot receive these great blessings.