You or I might feel helpless after so many years of such suffering; but when the woman approached Jesus, it seems she saw in Him something different, some glimmer of hope. She told herself that if she could even touch His clothes, she would be healed, and reaching out was indeed a great act of faith and in a triumph of hope over adversity.
According to the law, coming into physical contact with the woman would have had serious implications for Jesus. He would have had to retire from the crowd in order to wash Himself and His clothing, and couldn’t have gone to Jairus’ house. She was risking the full force of an angry mob which, given her outcast status, could have been a real danger to her life.
The woman was healed, not only because of her gesture of touching Jesus’ cloak, but because she backed up that gesture through coming forward to tell the truth. This is a vital aspect of her healing, because she had fulfilled her potential –- as of course God knew she would –- in taking responsibility for her actions.