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Written by Rabbi E. N. S. of Chicago, IL

I’m exhausted physically and emotionally, but I can’t go to sleep before I share the following. Firstly because it’s only right to share this with you, and more importantly to publicly express our greatest thanks for Hashem’s unlimited kindness!

Hindy and I are still shaken by what we went through in the last thirty hours, and by the open miracle that we witnessed and experienced.

I will bli neder not embellish at all, but rather share with you, in short, the events as they unfolded.

Our son Berel has been complaining about difficulty to see well in class, so yesterday we had an appointment with our eye doctor (a frum yid and a friend), Dr. Ahron Grossman.

The appointment started pretty routinely, with an eye test, but I realized something was amiss when Dr. Grossman kept taking him from one room to another to perform yet another and another test. What typically is a half hour appointment had already taken two and a half hours!

Dr. Grossman sent Berel out and called me into the room. He was extremely worried by what he had seen; Berel was basically losing his vision for far and for near in both eyes in a totally unusual and rapid way.

The first and greatest concern is something else in the head or brain that’s interfering with his vision…

Dr. Grossman had already been in touch with our pediatrician, and both were saying that an MRI must be done within 24 hours!

When my planned trip to New York on Wednesday was mentioned, both said not to even think about it.

Not such a simple task, with our insurance (public aid). Different options were discussed, and finally our pediatrician (a frum women and wonderful doctor and person) was able to secure an appointment in a hospital for 10:00 Wednesday morning. It would be more than 24 hours, but both doctors agreed that this was our best option.

After saying some emotional Tehilim, I wrote a tzetl to the Rebbe begging for a bracha.

Later that night Dr. Grossman called me to say that after consulting and brainstorming with colleagues that came up with a possible diagnosis of some type of benign tumor, which was ‘better’ than what he had originally been concerned of, though of course this would require surgery as well.

Last night Berel could not read krias shema from a siddur.

This morning he woke up complaining that it had gotten worse, and why should he go to school if he can’t read?!

I called our doctor who said to bring him in at 8:30 as the office opens in the morning.

At 8:00 as I was in the car already, the doctor called to say that after consulting with other doctors they concluded that I should head straight to the emergency room at children’s hospital where we would hopefully get an MRI today, as this couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

So we were off to the hospital.

From the car I called Rabbi Perlstien at the yeshiva, and asked him to write on my behalf a new tzetl to the Rebbe, updating the situation, saying that we were on the way to the hospital and begging once again for a bracha.

As we drove and a video was playing (‘I am a chosid’) suddenly Berel calls to me from the back: “Tatty I can read now” he announced. I can read the words on the video.”

We got to the ER, who were waiting for us because our doctor had already alerted them to our situation.

Immediately, they tested his vision (as well as his balance and other related things), and although they didn’t feel that it was as severe as the reports from the day earlier, it was problematic enough for them to order and schedule the MRI.

As we were waiting, Berel kept insisting that the problem had gone and that now he could see well again. He made me take him for a walk around the ER and had me test him in reading all kinds of signs far and near!

I came back and told the doctors about this. They put the MRI on hold, and called for additional testing by the hospital ophthalmologists.

Two ophthalmologists came, and after extensive testing concluded that they could find nothing wrong with his eyes or vision! They recommended to cancel the MRI altogether.

I said that they had to clear that with my eye doctor (Grossman) and pediatrician who had ordered it on the first place.

They (Grossman and pediatrician) didn’t agree at all, saying that after what they had seen yesterday there was no way that they could be satisfied without a conclusive MRI.

So it was reordered.

All this, you can imagine, takes time, and Berel was wheeled in to his MRI at about 8:30 p.m. over 11 hours after we were admitted in the hospital!

At 10:45 we were finally discharged with an ‘all clear’ from the MRI and with no vision issues that we know of!

הודו לה’ כי. טוב כי לכולם חסדו

May all those waiting to see their miracle, and chasdei Hashem, see it speedily and clearly!

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