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December 15 s 2005

The Power Of Love from page 19

"Zev's behavior has improved greatly
over the past few years. He handles
transitions more calmly and is rarely
violent; and his language has
continued to develop, which means
he isn't nearly as frustrated because
he can express himself."

-David Loeffler, ZeV's father

-Apy
12 months

Farmington Hills
(248) 538-2545

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0***1011 MICHIGAN

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has changed in another way, David
says. "He has become affectionate." The
boy who once didn't even notice when
his father walked in the door now
jumps up when David comes to see
him. He greets visitors with a kiss.
There was a time when Zev barely
noticed his mother. "Now when I call to
the house and ask Zev how he's doing
at school, he says,`Doin good!' Zev has
always called David abba, and now he
finally calls me 'Mom.'"
"Zev loves to hang out with me
David says, "and he always asks for a
hug when I tuck him into bed."

What Will Never Be
David Loeffler says he "gave up a long
time ago trying to figure out why God
picked our son to have autism." He
doesn't blame God, and he's not bitter.
Sandy at times thinks about what
will never be. Zev will never read from
the Torah at his bar mitzvah, never
have a loving spouse, never father chil-
dren.
Still, they are "delighted with the
progress Zev continues to make" and
feel "guardedly optimistic" about his
future. Their "guardedly" stems from
continuing cutbacks in governmental
support.
The Loefflers have entrusted Zev's
care after they die to the Arc of
Oakland County, a support-advocacy
group for persons with mental retarda-
tion and other developmental disabili-
ties. "Our family and friends wouldn't
be able to do if,' David says.
Like any parents, the Loefflers pray
for their children: that they will be safe
and happy, that they will lead fulfilling
lives. And like any parents, they tell not
just the challenging but also the funny
stories about Zev — like when he
found a pair of scissors and cut off all
his hair and deemed it a "nice haircut"

Zev Loeffler as - a little boy. He loved

the color green and Legos — and was

never afraid.

— and about life when the children
were little.
One fall afternoon many years ago,
when the Loefflers still had so much
hope that everything would work out,
the family went to an apple orchard for
the day. They were enjoying the warm
afternoon, a cloudless sky. Suddenly,
Zev jumped up and started running.
David ran after him, but he couldn't
keep up.
Zev was wild, his arms pumping, his
feet up and down on the vast earth. His
legs pushed fast and hard and he was
out of breath but fearless and free. The
wind sang around him. He kept run-
ning, with no goal, no destination, but
like someone running for his life. He
kept running and running and run-
ning. He never even looked back. 0