For 9 weeks before he was born, his parents were told by the doctors to “let nature take its course”.
When their child was diagnosed in utero with complex congenital heart and gastrointestinal defects, Elie and Chaya Rochel Estrin knew they had a tough ride ahead. Their determined battle to save baby Nissi was waged in spite of doctors’ predictions for a six-hour lifespan. It was a struggle inspired by the Jewish approach to life, deep Chassidic insights, and spurred on by overt miracles — resulting in a remarkable medical journey.The book’s second section serves as a practical guide for medical professionals, caregivers for loved ones, or friends who want to help. It provides insider perspective borne from experience, tips, crisis management tools, as well as the spiritual means and mindsets which propelled the Estrins through their son's multiple near-death experiences.This is a candid journal of fear and perseverance; a passionately eloquent yet humorous chronicle of the beauty and the ugly in hospitals, of patient advocacy, of unwavering parental love, and of optimism and trust in G-d — even under the most trying and difficult circumstances.Now available from Mosaica Press
Cover photo courtesy Paul Bestock
The Impossible Child
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To view the Estrins’ speaking schedule, or to book the Estrins to speak for your organization, click here.
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Nissi Estrin, summer of 2021
What People Are Saying:
“Heartfelt, heart-rending and heart-warming all at once.”
— Lieutenant General Mike Plehn,
US Air Force
“Incredible… The narrative, of course, is compelling, the world-view invaluable, and the writing top-notch. It deserves to be read by a wide audience.”
— Rabbi Avi Shafran, Director of Public Affairs and Spokesman,
Agudath Israel of America
“In addition to being a profoundly personal and breathtakingly honest account of a family that was open to—and received—countless miracles, this book provides long-needed and absolutely invaluable advice for medical providers, families, and friends who encounter such heartrending, and heart-soaring, circumstances. Simultaneously deeply spiritual and deeply practical, I recommend this book to anyone facing the sorts of challenges we would never wish on another.”
— Dr. Sarah Stroup, Professor of Classics at the University of Washington and fellow parent to a cardiac survivor
“Very moving, and well written… I personally benefited from reading Rabbi Estrin's book. As a doctor, I found it exciting and medically well-documented, and as a Jew I found its life lessons valuable. The book has very good advice for people going through similar crises - shared from deep personal experience.”
— Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz, Founder, the Jerusalem Medical Ethics Forum
“This poignant story is much more than a medical roller coaster. It is a case study in how the patient-physician-family relationship can go wrong and how the determination of a family can make all of the difference in complex health encounters. A worthwhile read for both medical professionals and families going through tough health situations.”
— Jeffrey Levsky, MD, PhD, Professor of Cardiothoracic Radiology and Medicine/Cardiology, Montefiore Medical Center / Albert Einstein College of Medicine
“Rabbi Elie Estrin and his wife Chaya have written a soul searching book that takes us through a very human journey. If you want to experience a life-all-in-one book, this is the one.”
— Howard Behar, President of Starbucks, retired
“A lopsided battle for a baby’s life, a struggle to cope with the medically uncharted, and an account of faith and wonder fed by modern miracles. Honesty and emotion, humor and pragmatism, a meticulous journal of medical conditions and procedures set to persistently dueling tunes of family life and medical emergencies.
This is a masterful work of spiritual and professional value: it is a stinging rebuke of unforgivable attitudes plaguing medical practice; a demonstration of the role faith and positivism play amid practical realities; a stirring salute to the Healer of all flesh, whose interventions are too loud to deny; and a meaningful guide to doctors and patients alike, based on the value of life and dignity, and on the pioneering approach to medicine illuminated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”