[英汉美文] 一个孩子教我们的人生课 || Learning from a Teenager

Learning from a Teenager

一个孩子教我们的人生课

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet 

(当你给以别人财产时，你的付出是如此微不足道。只有全身心的付出，才是真正的给予。）

Instead of hanging out at the mall with her friends, fifteen-year-old Carly spent most of her spare time taking care of her dad.

十五岁的卡莉和她的同龄人不同，大多数空闲时间她并没有和朋友逛街，而是用来照顾她的父亲。

Andy had been a strong,healthy,physically fit man who excelled at sports and loved outdoor activities. But one day he noticed his right hand was numb, and he dropped his cup of coffee. Over the next few months, several similar incidents happened to the point he could no longer ignore the strange and alarming symptoms. After months ofexhaustive tests, a neurologist confirmed the terrible news that thirty-eight-year-old Andy had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. When he learned this incurable illness would result in progressive neurological deterioration of his body. Andy tried to conceal it from his family as long as possible. He was separated from his wife, and his threeteenage children lived with him. Despite his efforts, it soon became impossible to hide his illness, and the effect on his youngest child,Carly, was the most profound.

安迪曾经是一个健康强杜的人,喜欢户外活动,擅长体育运动。但是突然一天他感觉右手麻木,失手将咖啡杯摔在了地上。随后的几个月又出现了几次相同的情况,终于他意识到不能再对身体发出的危险信号置之不理。经过了几个月的详细检查,神经科医生告诉了他一个沉重的消息,他患上了肌萎缩侧索硬化症,又称路格雷克氏症。安迪还被告知这种病属于不可逆转疾病,全身神经系统将逐渐退化,他决定不让家人知道自己的病情。他和妻子离异,三个未成年的孩子和他一起生活。尽管竭力隐瞒,但病情的发展很快被家人察觉，因为这件事而转变最明显的是他的小女儿卡莉。

 

He soon lost the ability to use a knife and fork. Carly would quietly lean over to cut his meat. She couldn't wait to come home from school to see him. At first, her friend were intrigued by the close relationship she enjoyed with her father. They patiently waited while she attended  to him before she went with them to the mall or the movies.Little by little, though,Carly started declining invitations from friends. Doing homework, helping out with the household chores, and helping her dad button his shirts and tie his shoes took most of her spare time.

很快安迪连刀叉都无法正常使用了,于是卡莉会很自然地探过身帮父亲把盘子中的肉切好。每天放学后她都会迫不及待地赶回家看望父亲。起初,朋友们对于她和她父亲的亲密无法理解,她们会耐心地等待。她安顿好父亲后和她们一起逛街或是看电影。渐渐的,凯莉开始减少和朋友们外出约会的次数。闲暇时间她会选择待在家做功课,料理一些家务,或是帮助父亲扣衬衫扣子以及系鞋带。

Andy was acutely aware that Carly needed to live a normal teenager's life and not be his private duty nurse. Her older brother and sister were more typical teenagers, and although they loved their father, they were less involved in his care. An old childhood friend of Andy's worked for the local Visiting Nurses Association as a home health aide. She made the referral to initiate home-care services. I became Andy's visiting nurse. Over the next several months, I arranged for a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist and daily home health-aide services. In spite of our best efforts, including a course of experimental drug therapy, Andy’s disease progressed. He became weaker and weaker each passing month.

安迪很敏锐地察觉到卡莉需要像其他同龄人一样的正常生活,而不是成为他的私人护士。卡莉的哥哥姐姐虽然也很爱自己的父亲,但都没有像妹妹那样完全牺牲个人生活照顾父亲。恰巧安迪儿时的一个朋友在家护理中心做家庭健康咨询,她安排安迪转诊。于是,我成了安迪的家庭护士。后来的几个月我为安迪安排了一个物理治疗师、一个职业治疗师、一个言语矫正师以及进行日常护理的护工。我们尽了最大的努力,甚至还进行了一段时间的实验性药物治疗,然而安迪的病情还是恶化了，他一天比一天虚弱。

Home-care services only provided help six or eight hours per day and none at night, so Carly continued to devote all of her spare time to her father’s care. As professionalcaregivers, we were expected to teach the family members all aspects of care, but Carly had already learned how to dress her father, assist him in the bathroom, prepare his easy-to-chew foods and feed him. We frequently deferred to her to show us an easier method of dressing him.

日常护理仅包括白天六到八小时的护理,晚上就要轮到卡莉继续照顾她的父亲。作为专业护理人员,我们本打算教病人的家人如何进行护理,但卡莉早就自学了如何帮父亲穿衣服、洗澡、准备易咀嚼的食物以及喂食。我们甚至还要让她为我们演示如何更简便地帮助她父亲穿衣服。

When I advised that it was time to get a hospital bed for ease of transfers in and out, Andy insisted on having a double bed so that his children could sleep next to him after they had helped turn and reposition him every two hours at night. The professional caregivers conferenced and decided it was inappropriate to have his teenage children sleeping in his bed with him. Carly taught us by her admirable behavior that closeness and warmth with her dad were more important than our stuffy rules. My persistent recommendations to hire private caregivers for nighttime duty also fell on Carly’s deaf ears. She was only a freshman in high school. Lack of sleep and leisure time was taking its toll on her physically and academically, but her perceptive guidance counselor informed all of her teachers of the extraordinary conditions Carly faced at home.

我曾建议卡莉为他父亲准备一个医用床方便移送,但她却坚持让父亲睡在双人床上,因为这样孩子们可以睡在父亲的身边,方便为父亲每隔两小时翻一次身。我们这些护理人员为此专门商量了一下,大家认为让病患和子女睡在一起不太妥当,然而卡莉用她令人钦佩的行动向我们证明了子女与父亲之间的温情和亲密,远比我们那些冷冰冰的规则更加重要。对于我为安迪找一名晚班护工的建议卡莉也同样没有采纳。她只是一个高一的学生，睡眠不足以及牺牲休闲时间的做法让她的身体和学业都受到了影响，细心的辅导员老师将卡莉的家庭状况告诉了她所有的任课老师。

All of us professionals worked diligently to keep Andy at maximum safety and function. However, nobody was perceptive to Andy's subtle changes and deteriorationsas Carly. When his speech became slurred, Carly understood him best. When he started to choke and have difficulty swallowing, a feeding tube was surgically implanted in his stomach. We taught Carly to prepare and install the feedings into the tube. She taught us how to do it in the way he tolerated it best. When his lungs became weak andcongested, we taught her to use the complicated portable suction machine. She taught us that she could learn anything needed to care for her father.

我们所有的医护人员都尽心尽力地工作,希望最大限度地帮助安迪延长生命并维持他的身体机能,然而没有人像卡莉一样对安迪身上任何一点细小变化都十分敏感。当他开始说话含混不清的时候,只有卡莉最明白他说了什么。当他经常出现窒息并连吞咽都变得困难时,我们将一根饲管插入他的胃里,并教卡莉如何用饲管给她的父亲喂食。而她则向我们演示如何护理能够帮她的父亲减轻些痛苦,当他的肺开始衰竭充血时,我们教她如何使用复杂的便携式吸痰器,而她则会向我们证明:只要对父亲护理理有帮助,任何设备她都能够学会使用。

I had a lump in my throat watching this fragile,98-pound girl hoist her 155-pound father out of his wheelchair and into bed day after day after day. I wondered where she got her strength. “From my dad”she answered.

看着这个只有98磅的瘦弱女孩儿日复一日地重复着将地155磅重的父亲从轮椅上抱起来放在床上的行为,我的喉咙总感到一阵阵发紧。我问她从哪儿来的这么大的力量。“从父亲那里。”她回答。

Finally, the day came when it was impossible for Andy to remain at home. Carly had spent most of the night suctioning the mucus and giving him his oxygen treatments. He could no longer breathe unassisted, so he was hospitalized and agreed to go on aventilator for a short time, just until his family could accept the fact that he was dying. Carly had to be forced to go school, but as soon as her last class ended, she hustled to her father’s hospital bedside to sit with him, along with her brother and sister.

终于有一天,安迪的身体状况已经无法继续待在家里。因为卡莉整晚都需要在他身边为他吸痰,给他输氧,他甚至已经无法自主呼吸,于是安迪被送往医院并随即戴上了呼吸机,他的家人也开始接受这个事实一一安迪马上就要离开了。卡莉每天还要去上学,但每次一放学她就会立刻来到父亲的病床前和哥哥姐姐一同照顾父亲。

Andy went into a coma on the last day of his life, and his devoted daughter told him one last time how much she loved him. But she did not need to say the words; her love and dedication had been proven countless times. As experienced professionals, we had taught her the techniques needed to care for her dad, yet a fifteen-year-old taught all of us a poignant lesson in love, caregiving and devotion.

                                                                                                                      ~Alice Facente

安迪最后的日子几乎都处于昏迷状态,一直对他尽心竭力的女儿最后一次向父亲倾诉了对他的挚爱,然而所有这些都无须用言语表达,她对父亲的爱和奉献已经无数次地得到了证明。作为阅历丰富的医护人员,我们教会卡莉如何使用各种设备照顾父亲,然而这个十五岁的女孩儿则用爱、细心和奉献给我们上了充满辛酸的人生一课。

                                                                                                                                  ---艾丽丝·法森特

  读美文记单词 ：

1. hang out 英 [hæŋ aut]   美 [hæŋ aʊt]

（呆在某处，或与某人呆在一起）闲逛

2. spare time英 [spɛə taim]   美 [spɛr taɪm]

n.消遣时间;

3. physically英 [ˈfɪzɪkli]   美 [ˈfɪzɪkəlɪ]

adv. 体格上，身体上;

Andy had been a strong,healthy,physically fit man who excelled at sports and loved outdoor activities.

3. numb英 [nʌm]   美 [nʌm]

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的;无动于衷的，没感情的

4. symptoms英 ['sɪmptəmz]   美 ['sɪmptəmz]

n.征兆;症状( symptom的名词复数 )

5. exhaustive英 [ɪgˈzɔ:stɪv]   美 [ɪɡˈzɔstɪv]

adj.详尽无遗;彻底的，透彻的; 详尽的，无遗的

6. neurologist英 [njʊəˈrɒlədʒɪst]   美 [nʊˈrɑ:lədʒɪst]

n.<医>神经病学家

7. ALS [医]amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症

8. incurable英 [ɪnˈkjʊərəbl]   美 [ɪnˈkjʊrəbl]

adj.无法治愈的;无法改变的;不能矫正的

n. 医不好的病人

9. deterioration英 [dɪˌtɪərɪə'reɪʃn]   美 [dɪˌtɪrɪəˈreʃən]

n.恶化;退化;

10. conceal英 [kənˈsi:l]   美 [kənˈsil]

vt.隐藏，隐瞒

11. teenage 英 [ˈti:neɪdʒ]   美 [ˈtinˌedʒ]

adj.十几岁的;青少年的

n.青少年时期

12. profound英 [prəˈfaʊnd]   美 [prəˈfaʊnd, pro-]

adj.巨大的；深切的；深远的 

12. intrigued英 [ɪnˈtri:gd]   美 [ɪnˈtriɡd]

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的

13. attend to sb照顾

14. little by little adv.渐渐

15. decline 英 [dɪˈklaɪn]

vt.谢绝，婉拒

16. acutely英 [əˈkju:tli]   美 [əˈkjuːtli]

adv.深深感觉到；强烈意识到 

17. Visiting Nurses Association

18. aid 英 [eɪd]   美 [ed]

n.帮助;助手;外援;辅助设备

19. referral英 [rɪˈfɜ:rəl]   美 [rɪ'fɜ:rəl]  

n.转诊病人;

make the referral

19. initiate英 [ɪˈnɪʃieɪt]   美 [ɪˈnɪʃieɪt]

vt.开始，发起;

20.  visiting nurse

n.上门服务护士，家庭病房护士

21. physical therapist英 [ˈθerəpɪst]   美 [ˈθɛrəpɪst]

n.物理治疗家

22. occupational therapist 职业治疗师

23.  speech therapist 言语矫治专家

24. therapy 英 [ˈθerəpi]   美 [ˈθɛrəpi]

n.治疗，疗法，疗效;心理治疗;治疗力

25. devote英 [dɪˈvəʊt]   美 [dɪˈvoʊt]

vt.奉献;把…奉献（给），把…专用（于）

26. caregiver英 [ˈkeəgɪvə(r)]   美 [ˈkergɪvə(r)]

n.照料者，护理者,护理人员

27. chew英 [tʃu:]   美 [tʃu:]

vt.& vi.咀嚼，咬;深思，考虑

27.  defer to遵从;尊重，顺从

28.  reposition英 [ˌri:pə'zɪʃən]   美 [ˌripəˈzɪʃən, ˌrɛpə-]

vt.使复位;改变…的位置;

29. stuffy英 [ˈstʌfi]   美 [ˈstʌfi]

adj.古板的，保守的;枯燥无味的;一本正经的

30.  take a toll on影响到

31.  perceptive英 [pəˈseptɪv]   美 [pərˈseptɪv]

adj. 观察敏锐的；有洞察力的；有悟性的

32.  guidance counselor辅导员

33.  diligently英 ['dɪlɪdʒəntlɪ]   美 [ˈdɪlədʒəntlɪ]

adv.用心;孜孜不倦;勤勉地，勤奋地

34.  extraordinary conditions特殊情况

35.  slur英 [slɜ:(r)]   美 [slɚ] 含混不清

36.  choke英 [tʃəʊk]   美 [tʃoʊk]

vt.& vi.哽咽;阻止，扼止;填塞;使窒息

37. instill英 [ɪn'stɪl]   美 [ɪnˈstɪl]

vt.<美>逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输

38. surgically英 ['sɜ:dʒɪklɪ]   美 ['sɜ:dʒɪklɪ]

adv.外科手术上;如外科手术般地

39. congested 英 [kənˈdʒestɪd]

(medical 医) (of a part of the body 身体部位) 充血的；黏液阻塞的 

40. suction machine吸痰器

41. hoist英 [hɔɪst]   美 [hɔɪst]   vt.升起，提起

42. mucus英 [ˈmju:kəs]   美 [ˈmjukəs]

n.粘液;（动植物的）黏液

43. ventilator英 [ˈventɪleɪtə(r)]   美 [ˈvɛntl:ˌetɚ] 通气机；呼吸器

44. hustle英 [ˈhʌsl]   美 [ˈhʌsəl]

vt.& vi.催促;硬挤，乱推;硬逼，逼使;强夺

vi.赶紧;硬挤过去;拼命挣钱

n.忙碌，奔忙;挤，推;拥挤喧嚷

hustle to

45. coma英 [ˈkəʊmə]   美 [ˈkoʊmə]

n.<医>昏迷;怠惰，麻木;

46. poignant英 [ˈpɔɪnjənt]   美 [ˈpɔɪnjənt]

adj.令人沉痛的；悲惨的；酸楚的 

欢迎分享到朋友圈，与更多人一起将英语学习进行到底

    豌豆Tina:

    觉得有意义，就坚持去做吧！

    别人半途而废了，而你却坚持下来了，请相信，很快你的坚持就成了你的优势！

    比如说每天坚持跑步，你就比同龄人更健康更年轻；

    比如说英语学习，别人敷衍了事，而你每天坚持多背了几个单词，多听了一篇英语短文，你就比别人有了更多的职业选择，看懂更多的英文原汁原味的书籍...