“If only most people had a fraction of Chaim Levi’s happiness”
This week marks the shloshim of Chaim Leiby Gruner, a beloved bochur who overcame daunting challenges to live a life of 28 years with joy, friendship, and a love for Torah and kedushah.
A son of Rav Dovid Yehuda and Mrs. Chavy Gruner of Lakewood, Chaim Levi was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that causes progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass, which confined him to a wheelchair from a young age. Although Chaim Levi’s physical strength slowly ebbed away, he remained full of dogged determination and unbridled love for Yidden and Yiddishkeit, spreading simchas hachayim to all he came in contact with.
Chaim Levi had a wide circle of “best friends” from different backgrounds and stages of life whom he drew together with his infectious smile. He spent many weekends and evenings with his ever-growing fan club. At the shivah, his nurse recalled that when he initially read Chaim Levi’s medical report, he conjured up an image of a boy withering in bed, depressed and withdrawn. But when he showed up to the Gruner house, the patient wasn’t there. He asked the previous nurse where Chaim Levi was.
“Oh,” replied the first nurse nonchalantly, “he’s hanging out with friends. He should be back around midnight or so.”
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