Remembering Nechy Zehnwirth, a”h

Mrs. Nechy Zehnwirth, a”h, was a one-of-a-kind person. We have heard about so many of her chasadim, but we wanted to share our personal story of how Nechy went way above-and-beyond the call of duty.

When our daughter Esther Rivkah collapsed in the middle of the night, right after Shabbos Chanukah about 20 years ago, we knew that this was something very serious. She was diagnosed with an AVM, an arterial venous malformation on the brain, which would require an operation. She was paralyzed on one side of her body.

Nechy, whom we knew only vaguely at the time, showed up at the hospital as soon as she heard about it and gave us much chizuk. She told us that she was familiar with this condition and that Esther Rivkah would get better, b’ezras Hashem. She gave us hope. But Nechy did not stop there. She offered to work with Esther Rivkah until she recovered fully. These were not mere words. 

Nechy came to hospital, and therapy started even before the hospital staff could get their act together. She came many times a week, including Shabbos. Such devotion can only be found by parents to a child or from a special person in whom ahavas Yisrael burns.

The therapy continued when Esther Rivkah came home from hospital six weeks later. Sinai Rehab felt that she was healed and cured, but Nechy felt otherwise. She said we cannot stop until Esther Rivkah is back to where she was before the AVM – sewing, cooking, baking, etc. Nechy came to our house every single day, including Shabbos. Only once was I able to convince Nechy that Esther Rivkah was well enough to walk to her house did she allow me to bring her there on Shabbos. But then she insisted on walking her home after the session. 

Nechy did not only use her talents in OT to help Esther Rivkah. During the sessions, she talked to her about her own medical challenges and how she has overcome so many obstacles in her life. This helped Esther Rivkah tremendously.

Suffice it to say that we are grateful to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for his tremendous chesed in giving Esther Rivkah back to us with full functioning. Today, she lives in Lakewood with her husband and children, b”H.

We also have tremendous hakaras hatov to Nechy and her family (who surely gave up their time with their wife and mother during all the time she spent with Esther Rivkah). May Hakadosh Baruch Hu give you nechama, and let’s hope that such ahavas Yisrael will lead to the geula shleima bimheira b’yameinu, amen.