Boruch Dayan Haemes Menashe Koppel "Koppie" Cohn

MidwestMommy

Thu, Jun 25 2009, 10:16 am

Thank you, HY, I have now changed the title of the thread. During this extremely difficult time for the family, they still managed to stay so strong. Such wonderful people... I'm attaching below a letter that the mother of this little boy, Naomi, sent out to the facebook group dedicated to him before he passed away. I know her words helped many to cope with the situation.
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Motzei Shabbos, June 20th 2009

I know that many of you are sitting so far away and don’t know or understand what is going on here in Chicago. I’m going to try to backtrack a little and catch everyone up and then share some of our thoughts.

We were planning to go back to Kansas on Monday night so that we could continue to pack up our house and get ready for the big move later in the week. Those of you who have helped with our house know that we had our work cut out for us! On Monday morning, we had to rush to the hospital with Koppie because he wasn’t feeling well and was acting out of character. When we got to St. Francis hospital in Chicago, I saw that our friend, Meira Gottesman was on duty. Seeing her was amazingly comforting because we really weren’t sure what was going on.

Koppie was transferred to Lutheran General which has a good pediatric ICU and we’d be able to see just the right doctors to tell us what exactly was going on. After a little while, we met with the doctors and learned that Koppel had a virus (like a cold), which somehow got into his blood and spinal fluid. It’s very very rare and was not preventable. Unfortunately, though, it is not treatable at this point and took a big toll on his body and brain.

The Tehillim (psalms) that is being said all over the world is amazing! The facebook groups, challah making, machsom l’fi (not speaking badly about others), undertaking mitzvos (good deeds), giving tzedakah (charity), emails, phone calls, text messages- the list goes on… We are touched and honored that our little boy has brought so many tefillos (prayers) and mitzvos into this world. We want to share something with you that has helped us, too. We’ve been davening (praying)for a refuah (recovery) for our son, and now for a neis and that might make all the people who’ve been doing all this davening wonder where all their tefillos are going. Well, they are going somewhere. It’s important to remember to ask Hashem (G-d) to do things for our good and in the right time. If we ask for something specific, we might just get it, and it could turn out to be wrong for us. For example, when you ask Hashem to help you find your match at the right time, you will. But if you ask Hashem to specifically marry so-and-so and you do, it might turn out to be the wrong match- but you got what you asked for!

Your tefillos and bakashos (requests) and the mitzvos that you’ve taken on in zechus (merit) of Refael Menashe Koppel are being counted and collected in shamayim (heaven). The inherently kaddosh (holy) words of tehillim that are being said are flooding the heavens. On Friday, it was raining here in Chicago like I’ve never seen. (It reminds me of a real Kansas spring storm). People commented that “The malachim (angels) are crying” and “The heavens are overflowing with the tefillos for Koppie”. Those were some very comforting and special words.

Todd and I were able to spend Shabbos with Eli, Leora and Tamar which was tremendously important. We can’t forget that we are still a family and that our three bigger kids need us. The organization, Chai Lifeline, arranged to have a girl stay with the baby for Shabbos. Her name is Suri and she’s such a special person for being able to spend a very long Shabbos in the ICU of hospital far from home, davening and spending time with our little boy so that we could give our other kids some normalcy in this very confusing time for them.

I know everyone is wondering what is going on with Koppie right now. Needless to say, we’ve learned more about the workings of the human body than we’d ever imagined. Hashem really designed our bodies to take care of themselves- it’s an amazing thing. All the doctors agree that only a very big Neis (miracle) can save Koppel’s life. His brain and body were too affected by the virus to ever recover back to the little guy that we remember. He is comfortable and in no pain at all. He is never alone- someone from our family or a close friend is always with him.

We’ve had six long, intense days to try and digest what has happened to us. From the very start it’s been clear that there was nothing that anyone could have done to prevent this from happening. We are so thankful that this wasn’t some accident where one could place blame. This was Yad Hashem (the Hand of G-d) from the very start. Koppie did not feel any hurt at all, and we’ve been able to spend a few days gaining perspective on the whole situation. The emunah (strength) and bitachon (belief) that we feel right now is very strong. Stronger than I’ve ever felt in my whole life. I so intensely feel that every human being is on this earth for a purpose- big or small, long or short. Koppel is still alive today because his Neshama (soul) is fulfilling the job that G-d intended for it.

It’s okay to ask “why” or feel angry and sad. These are all appropriate reactions and help with the coping process. Accepting that we can’t possibly grasp G-d’s plan is the only way to answer ourselves. We are thankful for the time that we have now with him to reflect and react.

The doctors and nurses have treated him wonderfully well. He is being kept comfortable until it’s his time to go on to the next world. Until that time, continue to daven, continue to take on mitzvos, the positive effect of those things is impossible to measure. And, as you say Tehillim please keep in mind all the other people, young and old, around the world who are in need of a refuah.

We are amazed at how quickly Koppel became Klal Yisroel’s baby and how news of his illness has made it around the world. We are touched by all the things that have been going on to his merit and thank everyone for your piece in those zecuyos.

May this week bring us only good. Shavua Tov.

Naomi & Todd