If your child was born with a health or physical impairment wouldn’t you do everything in your power to make your child whole again?
Zig Ziglar, motivational expert and author shares the following story: “I was speaking in Kansas City and there I met Bernie Lofchick. Bernie Lofchick told me this story.”
He said, “Zig, when our son was born our joy knew no bounds because we already had our two daughters. Now we had our son. The family was complete but he said it wasn’t long before we knew something was wrong because his head hung too limply on the right side of his body but the family doctor said he would outgrow it. We knew better so we took him to a specialist. We took him to one of Canada’s top specialists and after an exhaustive examination the specialist said this little boy is a spastic. He has cerebral palsy. He’s never going to be able to walk or talk or count to ten. I’m going to suggest that you put him in an institution for his own good and for the good of the quote “normal members of the family”.
“I’m not a buyer. I’m a seller.”
“Brother Bern looked at me and said you know Zig, I’m not a buyer. I’m a seller. I could not buy the idea that my son was going to grow up being a vegetable, so we took him to another doctor who told us the same thing. And then another and another and yet another and another until 30 doctors said there is no hope. Then I heard of a doctor Pearlstein down in Chicago. They got an alternate appointment so that when someone else cancelled they could have that appointment because Dr. Pearlstein was booked two years in advance and 11 days later a little boy from Australia canceled and they went to Chicago.”
Dr. Pearlstein is Solution Conscious:
“Dr. Pearlstein examined David, and when he finished he said this little boy is a spastic. He has cerebral palsy. He’s never going to be able to walk or talk or count to ten, if you listen to the prophets of doom. I want you to know that I am NOT problem conscious. I am solution conscious. And yes, I believe there is something that can be done for this boy if you are willing to do your part.”
“Bern and Elaine Lofchick said, Doctor, tell us what to do. We will do anything.”
Plan of Action: “The doctor and the therapist and the nurses spelled it out in minute detail. They said you’re going to have to push this little boy beyond all human endurance. Then you’re going to have to push him some more. You’re going to have to work him until he falls. Then you’re going to have to pick him up and work him some more. You got to understand that there is no stopping point, that if you ever stop he goes back. You got to understand that there might be months and even years when you will be unable to detect any change but you got to stay with it. And one last thing don’t ever give him therapy in the presence of another victim of cerebral palsy, because if he sees them taking therapy he will inadvertently pick up those awkward movements. You see, we become part of what we are around, whether it’s moral or immoral, whether it’s good or bad. Stay with it long enough and it’s going to rub off on you.”
“The Lofchicks went home, and built a little gymnasium in the basement of their home. They hired a physical therapist and a bodybuilder. It took him a lot of months but one day David Lofchick could move the length of his own body. It took him several years but one day the therapist called Bernie home and said I believe David is ready and Bernie rushed home.”
“David Lofchick was down in the basement and on a little mat getting ready to do a push-up. As that little body started to rise into the air the emotional and physical exertion was so great there was that a dry inch of skin on that little body. When he finished that one pushup, mother and dad, little David, and the sisters and the therapist and everybody broke down and shed those tears which so eloquently say that happiness is not pleasure; happiness is victory.”
“The story, ladies and gentlemen, is even more remarkable, when they know that one of America’s leading universities had examined this little boy and said there’s no motor connection to the right side of his body, he has no sense of balance, he will have extreme difficulty even being able to walk and stand straight, he’ll never be able to swim or skate or ride a bicycle.”
Zig Ziglar, “On October 23, 1971, my wife and I had the privilege of flying to Winnipeg, Canada to attend the bar mitzvah of little David Lofchick.(13 years old) Oh, how I wish you could have been there. How I wish the television cameras of the world had been clearly focused on what we saw as this little boy walked to the front of a synagogue tall and straight and strong. I wish you could have heard him as the words — uttered those words that moved him into the manhood of the faith of his forefathers.”
1100 Push-ups in a day: Six Miles Non-Stop: Zig Ziglar, “I wish you could have seen what we saw knowing what we knew because you see at that time he had done as many as eleven hundred push-ups in a single day. He had run as much as six miles non-stop.”
Golf in high 80s, Best Table Tennis player, Mathematician:
Mr. Ziglar continues, “He was shooting golf in the high 80s, one of the best table tennis players in Winnipeg, Canada, he had entered as a seventh grader, St. John’s Ravens court school for boys where this little boy who was never going to be able to count to ten did quite well in 9th grade mathematics.”
Parents, Bernie and Elaine Lofchick Did What Needed to Be Done for David’s Success:
Zig Ziglar, “And I tell you the story of David Lofchick because it involves so many of the principles in which I believe it begins with the right foundation of honesty and character and faith and loyalty, and yes, love. Oh! What a love story this one is!”
“ You see every night this little boy used to have to put his braces on and every night he would say, dad, do we have to put him on tonight or mom can’t we just leave him off tonight or do we have to put him so tight and you mothers and fathers know what I speak of when you have a little boy with tears running down his cheeks, pleading don’t put them on tonight. But because they did love him so much. They did not listen to the tears of the moment because they wanted to see the laughter of a lifetime. And that, ladies and gentlemen, really what love is all about, because you see so many of us as parents are reluctant to do for the child what is best for the child, because we fear that child then might withhold his love from us, not knowing that over the long haul the best way to guarantee his love is to demonstrate ours by acting in his best interest.”
Mr. Ziglar continues, “I tell the story of David Lofchick because it involves so many of the principles in which I believe they had a beautiful relationship with others, the doctors and the nurses. You see, they all had a part — the therapists all had a part; you don’t climb the high mountain by yourself; it is in conjunction with others that we really accomplish the major things in life. That’s why I like to tell the story of David Lofchick because it’s a story of cooperation.”
Goals, Positive attitude, Persistence: Keep telling Your Child He Can Do It:
Zig Ziglar, “I tell the story because it’s a story of goals — of big goals of lifetime goals, of monthly goals, weekly goals, hourly goals, even ladies and gentlemen. I tell the story of David Lofchick because it involves so much in attitude. You talk about attitude, this boy since he was too small to carry it, used to have his own cassette player and every day that little mind was fed with the good, the clean, the pure, the powerful, the positive messages over and over and over: you can do it son; you can do it.”
“See, we live in such a negative world, that unless we deliberately read the good books daily, unless we deliberately regularly feed our minds with, those motivational recordings, that in essence remind us over and over in a negative world that we ourselves can be positive if we have the positive input.”
Getting Up an Hour Early to Warm up to play on Hockey Team in Canada:
“For one solid winner, David set the alarm clock one hour earlier than any other member of the family. The wind chill in Winnipeg, Canada hits as much as 80 degrees below zero. He put those skates on. He literally crawled out to the frozen ice and it took him one solid winter to learn how to stand up. Later he skated on the neighborhood hockey team. Now I tell the story ladies and gentlemen because you see it wasn’t easy but I think if you were to talk to David Lofchick today he would tell you that you do not pay the price for good health. You enjoy that prize.”
Today David Lofchick is the number 1 real estate agent in Winnipeg, Canada.
Zig Ziglar, “I was speaking out in Amarillo, a young couple seated down on the front row were visibly moved with a story of David Lofchick and they came to me and they got the address of the doctor who had taken Dr. Pearlstein’s place on his death and they went to Chicago and this doctor examined their little girl whom they said had cerebral palsy. Little girl was about 18 months old and this doctor examined their little baby girl very carefully and he said this little girl does not have cerebral palsy. It was a misdiagnosis. She was simply born prematurely. She has all of the symptoms today of cerebral palsy because you have been treating her for the disease and she now has acquired all the symptoms. They started treating her as a normal child, beautiful and happy and she is moving well today.” (Zig Ziglar’s, See You At the Top)
If your child was born with a health or physical impairment wouldn’t you do everything in your power to make your child whole again?
Wouldn’t you just like Bernie and Elaine Lofchick find the right doctor , medical personnel, coach, or teacher to help you make your child whole again?
Madeline Frank, Ph.D., is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, speaker, business owner, teacher, concert artist, and parent. She helps businesses and organizations "Tune Up their Business". Her observations show you the blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. Her latest book "Leadership On A Shoestring Budget" is available everywhere books are sold. If you need a virtual speaker contact Madeline at: mfrankviola@gmail.com
