This wondrous story about the power of tefillah and pure emunah, was related by the Maggid Rav Shlomo Levenstein after he returned from a visit to Miami, Florida:
One of the mispallelim in the shul where I davened while in Miami is Rabbi Ariel Cohen. He is a baal teshuvah who made great strides and today he is a talmid chacham who dedicates many hours each day to Torah learning.
Reb Ariel and his wife had a baby daughter, baruch Hashem. He was overjoyed with the simchah and his heart was filled with gratitude to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. But their elation was soon replaced with great worry: The baby was not developing properly according to her age. She didn’t start crawling in a timely manner, and did not stand or walk.
Many thorough and exhausting tests were taken, and at their conclusion the doctors informed the worried parents that the child was suffering from a very rare syndrome, and in the entire world, only one hundred and thirty children were documented to have it. The diagnosis also brought with it a worrying assessment for the future: This syndrome would likely manifest in more and more areas, and based on the current medical knowledge, the child would not live more than six or seven years.
This bombshell devastated the young parents. The thought that their darling baby would suffer terribly and then pass on at such a young age broke their hearts. They looked at each other and at their baby, struggling to digest the brutal reality.
The professor who had examined her said to them: "There is one thing that may be effective. Its effectivity is not yet proven for the long term, because it was only approved for use four weeks ago by the American health department, but in the meantime, there have been impressive results and patients who were able to get the treatment in time were cured. The treatment is administered in the form of a one-time injection."
"And why shouldn’t we give it?" Rabbi Cohen asked. "Is it a very harsh treatment?"
The professor looked at them with a sad, somber expression and said: "The treatment is not hard at all. It is given as a one-time shot and doesn’t cause any serious side effects. But in your case...it seems that it’s too late. If we would have had the results earlier, maybe we would have been able to treat it in time. But now, I don’t see any chances of it working. It’s hard for me to tell you this, but these are the facts. I’m so sorry..."
The anguished parents looked at the professor. They asked for more information and the doctor continued: "The treatment has two obstacles – and both of them, unfortunately, work against us. The first is age. The shot is given to children up to the age of two years, and your daughter will be two in just nine days. And the second is that the cost of the medication is very high - $2.2 million! And most people just do not have the possibility of raising such a sum, and certainly not in such a short amount of time."
He paused to let the parents absorb what he had said. But Rabbi Cohen used the moment of silence to speak: "Why do you say there is no solution? Of course there is a solution! I have a rich father."
A spark of interest lit up the professor’s eyes and he asked who Reb Ariel’s father was. The younger man answered confidently: "My father is the Creator of the world, the Almighty." His response was delivered with passion, and with absolute bitachon in his Creator, but it did not particularly impress the professor. He smirked and said, "Well, then you can continue to believe...I’m not so into that kind of thing."
Despite everything, Reb Ariel’s emunah was rock solid, with nary a crack. He believed this really and truly and decided to make every hishtadlus that he could, with the firm belief that Hashem is benevolent and would do the right thing for them.
On Thursday evening, a tefillah rally was held for the baby’s recovery. The community said Tehillim and in unison, answered a powerful amen to the Mi Shebeirach that was said afterwards. Then, the parents got in front of the cameras, and told their daughter’s story. They asked for the public to help save her. Their call was disseminated, and within moments, a mass fundraising efforts was launched.
No one could remain indifferent to this story, and word of the fundraiser spread. Donations began to come on Friday, first a slow trickle, but then growing steadily. On Tuesday, the fundraiser was halted, as it had reached its goal. They had raised $2.5 million! Twenty-four thousand people had donated and happily answered the Torah’s call – "Lo sa’amod al dam rei’echa."
On Tuesday, Rabbi Cohen returned to the professor and asked impatiently where his daughter could get the crucial injection as soon as possible. The doctor was stunned: "Do you want to tell me that you raised that astronomical sum? Are you sure you are not dreaming?"
The father nodded calmly and pointed his finger Heavenwards. "I asked my kind Father in heaven, and He sent me the whole sum. We can move forward." He asked that the shot be given to his daughter on Thursday, the yahrtzeit of the Ohr Hachaim hakadosh, so that his great merit should advocate for his daughter that the expensive treatment should be effective.
On Thursday morning, the child was brought to the hospital and received the shot. Two days later, on Shabbos, she turned two. A kiddush was held on that Shabbos in the shul in Miami in gratitude to HaKadosh Baruch – and I was there to participate. Everyone was a partner to the joy and the excitement was at a peak. Indeed, that young man has a very rich Father Who accompanies him and takes care of providing all his needs!
Umasok Ha’or, Purim Vol. II p. 118
