This story is about Rav Dovid Moshe [grandson of Rav Yisrael Friedman of Chortkov) when he was an older man. His son Rav Dov Ber Friedman was home with him alone and related that his father’s pain was intense and his suffering was great. This was unusual, since once when he had had a heart attack he had not even complained!
So when he told his son that the pain was unbearable, he grew frightened and accompanied him to the emergency ward. Rav Dovid Moshe had been sick of late with the illness that a year later would claim his life, and the doctors and nurses had been treating him and knew him well. They were therefore quite surprised at his reaction.
After examining him as he lay on the hospital bed and as they wheeled him toward the surgery ward, the doctor mentioned to the nurse that it was a severe attack of appendicitis and that they were going to do emergency surgery to remove his appendix before it burst.
When Rav Dovid Moshe heard this he began to protest loudly that under no circumstances whatsoever did he agree to the surgery! The doctors and nurses were at a loss. On one hand they saw he was suffering and in great pain; on the other hand, the man they knew well lay there adamantly refusing surgery.
When the doctor suggested instead an X-ray, he agreed, and lo and behold, the X-ray indicated a fracture pressing against his stomach, which had given the impression of an enlarged appendix. When the astonished doctor explained that they would need to do surgery to correct this fracture, Rav Dovid Moshe agreed.
Later, the son turned to his father for an explanation of this seemingly prophetic episode. Rav Dovid Moshe, who was too weak to be totally anesthetized, and was therefore awake after only local anesthetic was applied, explained:
“When I was a young child I suffered greatly from appendicitis. After the second occasion, the doctors wanted to operate, saying that if the situation was delayed further, it might rupture and cause an infection, Heaven forbid.
“My zeide, the holy Rav Yisrael Chortkover, visited me and sat by my bedside. He said to me, “You will not suffer from your appendix anymore.” And therefore my parents did not allow them to operate on me. Now, when the doctor said it was appendicitis, I knew he had to be mistaken! For did not my holy zeide say to me that my appendix would not bother me again? However, to do an X-ray, I agreed, and to repair the fracture I agreed as well, because that is certainly possible, and when it comes to sound medical advice I listen to the doctor.”
(Source: Rav Yechiel Yehoshua Rabinowitz Tiferes Yisrael Vayeitzei p. 3)
