Update on Yosef Azriel ben Chaya Michal and Elazar ben Reuma who were injured in Meron:
Hi all.....
It's been a while.....Yossi is b"H doing well. Sometimes he seems a bit out of it, but occasionally you can totally see he is so with us. Annoyance and discomfort are expressed very clearly (my teenager still); greetings and thanks are often pretty clear too, expressed through rapid blinking.
We are really so blessed to have a wonderful place to send him; Adi Jerusalem is a warm, caring, professional school with a very special and qualified staff. Yossi leaves home every morning at 6.45 and returns at 2.30. He takes a shower and a nap, and then Francis does physical therapy with him (incidentally, we never asked him to, he decided to do that on his own and learned what to do from the therapists). Evenings are either spent visiting with his savta and zaidy, neices and nephew, chavrusas, occasional wonderful concerts, or just hanging out with Mendy and me, listening to music or a shiur.
Francis is amazing, a real gift from Hkbh. He cares about and cares for yossi in the most beautiful way, always gentle and kind. He keeps yossi looking sharp, and takes great pride in yossi's popularity. He tells me that although he didn't know yossi before, he must have been a great kid, he can tell by how his friends care about him and still visit him. He is especially impressed by the boys learning gemara with yossi, as it seems very complicated, and is so proud that yossi knows how to learn!
So we have fallen b"H into a routine for the most part, with small blips occasionally. We spent a few days in the hospital when yossi got sick, but that passed quickly, chasdei Hashem.
Although we've gotten used to our new reality, some moments are still challenging. We b"H have been blessed with a beautiful new granddaughter, and I keep thinking she's the first of our grandchildren who won't know the real yossi.........Iy"H things will change, and by the time she grows up she will know our yossi, but it's hard.......
Elazar has had some serious health setbacks, and has been in and out of rehab again for breathing issues. Serious surgery is being discussed. Cognitively he is doing much better than Yossi, b"H, but his physical situation is a real challenge. It is always an amazing inspiration to me to watch the Bergers, as always, meet these new challenges with such grace.
Thank you for continuing to keep our boys in mind; your tefillos and thoughts are so appreciated, and give us tremendous chizuk.
Chodesh tov!
