Title: A Special Heart: An Amazing Journey of Hope, Love, and Courage in Raising a Special Child to Reach His Full Potential
Author: Judy Zimlichman
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-4917-9446-3
Pages: 166
Genre: Biography/Personal Memoir
Reviewed by: Susan Hart
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When Judy Zimlichman’s third child, Chaim, was born malnourished and with some breathing difficulties, doctors were not sure what was wrong. After 12 days in NICU, they sent Zimlichman home with her newborn, still without any conclusive understanding of why he wasn’t thriving. At 18 months, Chaim was finally diagnosed with a mild form of Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic disorder.
With an intensity driven by a mother’s love, Zimlichman began a journey of understanding to uncover everything she could about this syndrome to insure that her son flourished in spite of his physical and mental differences. That journey is captured in her book, “A Special Heart.” At the time of the diagnoses, a doctor said to “forget about him and put him in a home.” Zimlichman’s response was to do the opposite, spending her time researching what was known on this condition which was made all the more difficult since English was not her native language. She says, “His survival had to be my priority.”
This personal memoir details the arduous aspects of, not only raising a special needs child, but raising him in a traditional Jewish environment. It is as much about her growth as a person as it is about Chaim’s. She learns and he benefits; he progresses and she is changed by his accomplishments; as is her family. She says, “The positive aspects of our journey with Chaim were the tremendous emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth we all experienced through living with Chaim and through our constant seeking and searching for solutions.”
With her family behind her and her Jewish faith as a guide, she educates herself and all who come into contact with Chaim about his challenges. It is Zimlichman’s dependence on her faith that helps her overcome the heartache between one ordeal after another. Judaism allows her to see Chaim’s simcha, a Hebrew word that translates to living in a state of happiness. It brings a bracha or blessing from Chaim and it allows her to experience the beauty of his neshama, his soul.
Her devotion to her faith drives her to give Chaim, a Hebrew word that means life, just that. At the time of his diagnoses, little was known about the syndrome. What was known was that Williams syndrome manifests in a host of medical problems, not the least of which is cardiovascular disease, developmental delays and learning disabilities.
Zimlichman writes in heart wrenching detail about the problems that arise from these issues, but with just as powerful heart touching prose she records some of Chaim’s successes: the first time he mastered using scissors and cut the living room curtain to shreds; a young friend who knew of Chaim’s difficulty navigating stairs and would wait for him at school to help him go up and down the stairs; Chaim attending his first summer camp; his bar mitzvah; his love of music and his making of his own CD, “Songs from a Special Heart;” Chaim getting his first job.
Zimlichman’s storytelling takes the reader from Chaim’s birth to his adult life in a group home, at the same time detailing her decision to complete and receive a Master’s Degree in the School of Social Work. Part of her narrative includes touching first person accounts of how she is feeling in the moment.
The final third of the book is a compilation of loving testimonials from family members, a portrait gallery of Chaim with friends and family through the years and valuable resource information for families with special needs children. This is a beautiful story that serves to remind us as Zimlichman says, “I have come to realize more and more that to appreciate the journey we are part of is what’s important, not the destination.”
