When a person is going through a difficult situation and the doctors or experts tell him they don't have an answer, it's very easy to become overwhelmed with fear and worry. But we have to remember that no matter how hopeless the situation appears to be, Hashem is never limited by what people can or cannot do. Even when every avenue seems to be closed, Hashem has unlimited ways of bringing a salvation.
A woman from Israel named Ortal Yitzchakov related a story about her son, who was four and a half years old when it happened a few years ago. One day, he developed a high fever. The doctors thought it was a throat infection and gave him antibiotics. But three days later, the fever still hadn't come down. The little boy became very weak and was sleeping all the time. He would come home from kindergarten, go straight to sleep, wake up for a short time to eat, and then fall back asleep again. His parents knew something was very wrong. By Thursday, his condition had gotten so bad that they called Hatzalah. On the way to the hospital, their son began having seizures. The doctors ran tests, but everything came back normal. They couldn't figure out what was causing the seizures. By Friday morning, his condition had deteriorated so badly that the doctors said they had to sedate him and put him on a ventilator. Just a few days earlier, this little boy had been perfectly healthy. Now he was lying unconscious in intensive care, connected to a breathing machine, and nobody knew what was wrong with him.
That Friday afternoon, the family arranged a hafrashat challah gathering. Women came from all over to pray for a refuah shelemah. But his condition remained critical, and he stayed on a ventilator for an entire week. Finally, on Lag BaOmer, the little boy woke up. His mother was overjoyed, but when she tried speaking to him, he couldn't answer. All he could do was reach out and hold her hand. Even that small gesture meant so much to her. But the good news didn't last long. The seizures started again, and the doctors continued looking for answers. Then things became so bad that the little boy started having as many as forty seizures a day. His parents were watching their precious little boy suffer again and again, and the doctors could do nothing to stop it. Ortal later described how she and her husband felt they were on the verge of an emotional breakdown.
At one point, Ortal decided it was time to strengthen herself spiritually. She contacted Hidabroot and arranged another evening of hafrashat challah and chizuk, this time with Rebbetzin Esther Lamir. Before the gathering started, she sat with the Rebbetzin in her car and broke down crying. She said they had already held hafrashat challah gatherings, and so many people had been praying, yet her son was only getting worse. Why would anything change this time? The Rebbetzin gave her chizuk with stories of yeshuot and helped strengthen her emunah. Then, during the gathering, the Rebbetzin began singing and encouraged the women to dance. She told Ortal, "You have to be happy. Hashem doesn't want sadness." At first, this was very difficult for Ortal, considering everything she was going through. But slowly, she began to feel a new sense of strength. Instead of focusing on what the doctors couldn't do, she started thinking about what Hashem could do. She recognized that no matter how hopeless things appeared to be, Hashem could heal her son in an instant. And then she said with conviction, "I believe my son is going to be healthy. I believe Hashem can heal him."
Nothing had changed yet. Her son was still suffering from seizures, and the doctors still had no answers. But something had changed dramatically inside of her. She strengthened her bitachon in Hashem and found the ability to be happy despite everything she was going through. Ortal also made a commitment to give a monthly tzedakah donation as a zechut for her son. The next day, her husband called from the hospital with wonderful news. Their son had gone through an entire night without a single seizure, and that morning, there hadn't been any seizures either. From that point on, his condition kept improving. He was transferred out of intensive care, and by the night of Shavuot, he was able to speak again. Soon afterward, he began recognizing his family and friends. The doctors couldn't believe his recovery. The family made a seudat hoda'ah to thank Hashem, and eventually, after spending seven Shabbatot in the hospital, they were finally able to bring their little boy home. Ortal said that from then on, every Shabbat at home felt like a new gift.
We must always remember that the limitations of doctors and experts are not limitations to Hashem. When there seems to be no way out, there's always a way. We have to strengthen our emunah, continue praying, and remember that Hashem has the power to change everything, keheref ayin—in the blink of an eye.