There are many stories of refuos that occurred in Meron, particularly on Lag b'Omer, and we write some of them in the footnote. Here, we will write the most famous story (because it happened in front of many people, and it is recorded in sefarim):
In the year 1918/תרע"ט, a childless couple davened in Meron at the kever of Reb Shimon bar Yochai and promised that if they had a child, they would bring him to Meron on Lag b'Omer for his chalakah (to make peyos).
They had a child, and when the child turned three, 1922/תרפ"ג, the mother brought the child to Meron as she had promised. Her husband remained home.
Lag b’Omer was on Friday that year, so most people remained in Meron for Shabbos. On Shabbos, the three-year-old child became ill with the cholera epidemic. On Shabbos morning, the mekubal Reb Asher Zelig Margolis zt'l was davening Mussaf before the amud, when the crowd heard the young child's loud shouts and cries. Everyone panicked, especially the mother, whose cries were heard above all others.
Reb Asher Zelig recorded this episode in one of his sefarim, and wrote, "The child was green; he seemed to be dead." The tefillah was over, but no one was interested in making Kiddush. A feeling of gloom reigned.
The mother took the child, placed him near the tzion, and said, "Reb Shimon! I brought my only son here at three years old to receive his first haircut, as I promised. Please, do not ruin my happiness and the happiness of my husband, who is waiting for us to return. Reb Shimon! I’m leaving my son here. Don’t embarrass me. Bring him back to health as he was healthy when I brought him here yesterday. Sanctify Hashem's name. Reveal to everyone that there is Hashem and that there are tzaddikim."
She left her son near the tzion and closed the door behind her. Only the child remained inside. A few minutes later, the child's voice was heard. He was calling for his mother.
Reb Asher Zelig opened the door. The boy stood on his feet, calling, "Mother, I'm thirsty. Bring me water."
Everyone roared joyously, and they recited the brachah מחיה המתים.
A few weeks later, he called his ill friend, "I’m buying a ticket to Eretz Yisrael today. I want to be in Meron for Lag b'Omer. Should I buy a ticket for you too? The doctors aren’t stopping you from traveling, so why shouldn't you come along?"
The sick man agreed.
That year Lag b'Omer was on Motzei Shabbos. As soon as Shabbos was over, they went to the tzion to daven. This occurred twenty-five years ago when the crowds weren’t as large as today. Most of the chassidim were still with their Rebbe for the hadlakah, and the tzion wasn't that full, so they could get inside and daven. The ill man sat down near the tzion and poured his heart out in tefillah. He said the entire sefer Tehillim, from beginning to end. When he finished, he turned to his friend and said, "I feel that I've just removed a large stone off my heart, and I'm leaving the stone here."
They returned to America. The doctors decided to operate to save his life. When they opened his body, they didn’t find a sign of the illness. They took a biopsy and sent it to the lab to see if any remnant of the disease remained. Nothing was there. He was completely well. His first phone call was to his friend who encouraged him to go to Meron on Lag b'Omer. He cried tears of gratitude. His friend heard him crying into the phone and feared that he had received negative news from the doctors. When he finally found his voice, he explained that they were tears of happiness.
Both of these men told me the story and concluded, "Since then, we go to Meron every year, and before we leave, we say, "Reb Shimon, next year again!"