In the late 1950s, a two-year-old boy in a Lubavitch family became very sick. His family took him from doctor to doctor in hope of finding a remedy. Ultimately, the doctors took an X-ray and diagnosed TB. They wanted to send the baby to a sanitarium.

“He’s not going anywhere until we write the Rebbe,” the mother replied.

The Rebbe’s answer was unequivocal. “The baby doesn’t have TB. He should not be sent to a sanitarium because the disease is very contagious, and he could contract it there. Instead, the family should get another opinion.”

This last instruction presented a problem. Since the baby’s illness had been protracted, his concerned parents had already consulted all the doctors they knew. When the doctors diagnosed TB, they had asked their friends for the names of specialists, and consulted them as well. At this point, they were pretty much out of names to ask for another opinion.

A Lubavitcher doctor in the area had just taken in a young associate, and the family decided to consult him. After looking at the X-ray, the doctor said: “It looks like TB, but if the Rebbe says it’s not, then it is worth considering other alternatives. It is possible that the problem is merely a stomach infection, but because of constant coughing, some of the fluids have come up into the chest. We’ll put the boy on antibiotics. If it is a stomach infection, this will clear it up.”

The boy began taking the antibiotics as the young doctor prescribed. Two weeks later, he was well on his way to recovery.