When her sister’s condition turned critical and doctors said she wouldn’t make it through the night, Tammy, though not connected to Chabad at the time, called the Rebbe for a bracha and was told she would be fine, but as her sister’s condition visibly worsened, the family chose to trust the Rebbe’s words and wait for what Sunday would bring.
By Anash.org writer
Earlier this month, Tammy, a longtime Delta Airlines employee at JFK Airport, shared with Chabad of the Airport a powerful personal story of hashgacha pratis and a miraculous bracha from the Rebbe that changed her family’s life.
The story goes back to 1989. Tammy’s sister had fallen critically ill with a severe infection that had spread from her spine toward her brain. “The doctors said she wasn’t going to make it,” Tammy recalled. “It was that serious. We were already preparing ourselves.”
In a moment of desperation, a friend suggested she reach out to the Rebbe for a bracha. Though not affiliated with Chabad at the time, Tammy decided to try.
“It was a Friday afternoon. I picked up the phone and called the Rebbe’s office. One of the Rebbe’s secretaries answered. I explained that my sister was in a life-threatening condition and asked if the Rebbe could give her a blessing.”
The secretary told her to call back in fifteen minutes.
“I waited. Those were the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I called again and asked, ‘What did the Rebbe say?’ He answered calmly, ‘The Rebbe said: On Sunday, we will see her. Kol tuv.’ And then he hung up.”
Tammy was stunned. “What does that even mean? My sister was dying. There was no way we would ‘see her’ on Sunday.”
She called back once more, now crying. “I don’t understand,” she pleaded. “What does this mean — ‘see her on Sunday’? She won’t make it through the weekend!”
But the secretary gently repeated, “Everything is fine. The Rebbe said: On Sunday, we will see her. Kol tuv.”
Tammy shared the exchange with her mother. “My mother just said, ‘Hakadosh Baruch Hu works in His ways. We’ll wait.’”
That Shabbos, the family remained in the hospital. Tammy’s father sat by his daughter’s bedside and watched her condition deteriorate. “She was shrinking before our eyes. The doctors said things weren’t looking good.”
Motzaei Shabbos brought no improvement. But then came Sunday morning.
“We were sitting in the room, and the doctors came in — cheerful. They said she was doing better. She was awake, talking, and said she felt much better than the night before.”
Even more shocking: within hours, the medical team informed the family that they were discharging her that very day. “They told us the infection was gone. She was tired and weak, but otherwise well. Discharge was set for 12 o’clock.”
At 1:00 PM, they were standing in line to receive a dollar and bracha from the Rebbe.
“Exactly as the Rebbe had said: ‘On Sunday, we will see her.’ And we did. The Rebbe’s words were fulfilled with absolute precision.”
Tammy’s sister went on to make a full recovery. “Today, baruch Hashem, she’s healthy and a mother of three. It was a nes — no other way to describe it.”
With tears in her eyes, Tammy concluded her story. “I saw the Rebbe’s words come true — word for word. That experience changed my life.”
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