Baruch's Bar Mitzvah
By Sara Rosenfeld
http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/389332/jewish/Baruchs-Bar-Mitzvah.htm
I never thought that I would have written a story about Baruch. But I did, and it has been one of the best things I have done. Little did I know that one story, my personal experience, could affect people in the way that it has. Little did I know that it could affect me in the way that it has.
When that article was posted, (See, Baruch, Our Special Child) I showed Baruch the picture of himself that accompanied the piece. The first thing he did was point to his picture and then point to himself (means “me”). Then he saw my name and signed "good" and gave me a big hug! I took this as my personal sign from G-d that I did the right thing in writing that story.
It was because of that story that I am now writing this one. I am grateful to all who read about Baruch and were concerned and connected and inspired me to once again write about him.
As you know, Baruch is not the ordinary kid next door. Baruch is truly a miracle child. He was born with severe disabilities that caused other infections and problems, so much of his first few years of life was touch and go. We lived with the knowledge that at any moment our precious boy could be taken from us. And yet we lived to witness miracle after miracle as he survived and triumphed time and time again.
Now, at the age of 13, Baruch is still deaf, has a trachea tube in his throat and eats only through a gastrostomy tube in his stomach, but for a boy that all his doctors thought would never walk or understand or interact, he has proven them more than wrong.