Edden Rosenberg| Congregation Shaare Emeth

When Edden was 7 years old, he had his first surgery to correct several genetic disorders. One of these was Köhler disease, a rare bone disorder of the foot in children. It is characterized by limping because of pain and swelling. Another was tibial torsion, an inward twisting of the shinbones, which causes the child’s feet to turn inward.

Prior to his surgery, Edden, son of Michelle and Shahar Rosenberg of Chesterfield, met with an older child who already had the same surgery. This meeting helped Edden tremendously. For his mitzvah project, he wanted to reach out and counsel other children facing the same issues and having similar surgeries. 

The personal assistant in his doctor’s office contacted Edden and gave him the name of one of their patients, a 7-year-old boy scheduled for surgery. The boys met at Bahama Buck’s in Cottleville, Mo., for shaved iced.

Edden was very honest with the other child. His main goal was to answer all questions and reassure him the best he could. Edden told him that he would meet the doctors and nurses ahead of time and visit the surgery room. He would know exactly what to expect ahead of time.

He continued by telling the boy that it will be kind of scary when he awakes, but he can have all the ices he wants. Edden also said that recovery is really hard but the physical therapists are great and there are plenty of fun activities to do. 

A student at Parkway Central Middle School, Edden will meet with other kids this summer when most surgeries are scheduled, due to recovery time. 

Edden always wanted to be like other kids but knows he can’t. He is, however, very compassionate, has a strong tolerance to pain, and is accepting of his situation. His motto is, “This is me, this is who I am and we’re just going to go with it.” That kind of attitude will serve him well into the future, as he would like to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon when he grows up.