As a dying person, what is your advice to the living?
作为一个垂死之人，你对生活的建议是什么？
- Upvoted 107.5K
- Ossama Suleiman, 8 years glioblastoma brain cancer survivor
- Updated Apr 13，2018
- Translated by Qee11
I can give you a first hand answer here. In 2009 I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a grade 4 brain cancer, after surgery the oncologist came back with the sad news that the statistics look quite ugly, he gave me treatments for 9 months, and 6 months to one year to live.
我可以给你一个第一手的回答。2009年，我被诊断患有恶性胶质瘤，一种四期脑癌，手术后，肿瘤科医生带来了坏消息，统计数据看起来很糟糕，他给我定了9个月的治疗，还剩6个月到一年的寿命。
I was engaged preparing to marry in few months. We broke up, I didn't see why I would leave a widow behind and break her heart.
我已经订婚了，并且这几个月来一直在筹备婚事。我们分手了，我不想在身后留下一个寡妇，伤透她的心。
I had no desire to pursue anything further in life…
我再也没有欲望在生活中追求任何东西。
It was a time of complete shutdown.
这是一个彻底封闭的时期。
I wanted to quit my job, however my managers managed to convince me to stay with a relaxed schedule…
我想辞职，但是我的经理说服了我，让我呆在一个比较轻松的工作计划中。
They started to teach me statistics again.
他们也开始再次教我如何统计。
An average of 1 year, means some people die in 3 years, while others die in 6 months, and that I should have the positivity to assume I'm on the long term survival side.
平均1年，意味着有些人在3年内死亡，而另一些是6个月。所以我应该积极地去假设自己会在长期存活的那一边。
By continuing to go to work, I kept myself busy, not thinking too much about my cancer.. I travelled , did some of the stuff I always wanted to do, visited places I always wanted to go.
通过继续工作，我让自己忙起来，不再多想癌症的事情……我去旅行了，做了一些我一直想做的事情，去了一些我一直想去的地方。
I started to revisit my friends, hang out with those I really liked, got rid of those who made me feel sad, or felt pity. There are those who just don't know what to tell you, then it gets awkward…
我开始重新拜访朋友们，和那些我真心喜欢的朋友出去玩，躲开那些会让我觉得悲伤或遗憾的人。有些人只是不知道要和你说什么，然后就会变得尴尬……
It is not something you want to talk about with everyone. You want to feel good, and not be down all the time.
这件事并不是你可以和每个人都讨论的事。你只想自我感觉良好，而不是一直低落。
I started to be more of a minimalist.. I had no desire in all the nice stuff I had always dreamt of, as My life seemed to come to a stop.
我开始变得更像一个极简主义者……我对所有自己曾梦寐以求的美好事物失去了欲望，因为我的生命似乎要终止了。
However over time.. I started to realize that I'm happier .. I had special concerns for my parents, I started spending more time with my parents.
然而随着时间的推移……我开始意识到，我现在更幸福了……我对父母特别关心，我开始花更多的时间和父母在一起。
With my family They are the joy of my life.. Too sad I never realized that earlier 8 years later I'm still around, although the cancer hit back several times, and my left side is now paralyzed, I'm still active going to work, participating in charities, trying to keep myself busy and active.
我生命的乐趣是和家人在一起。真遗憾，我之前从未意识到这一点，八年后我仍活着。尽管癌症回击了好几次，我的左半边身体现在瘫痪了，但我仍积极去工作，参与慈善事业，努力让自己保持忙碌和活跃。
I was 32 when I was diagnosed, now hitting the 40’s I feel more mature, I'm guessing age is an important factor in how we take such news.
当我被确诊时，我32岁。现在到了40岁，我觉得自己更成熟了，我猜年龄是我们接受消息的一个重要因素。
After all life goes on, and it is how you take the news that makes all the difference..
一切都还在继续，你如何接受这些消息的方式能让一切都有所不同。
Keep busy, don't let your mind wander too much.. No one knows when you are going to die..
保持忙碌，不要让你的思想游荡太多……无人知晓你何时死去。
There's a shock at the beginning, try to pass it, embrace the news and you will feel the tranquility after a while..
开始时，晴天霹雳，努力忽略它，接受这个消息，你会在一段时间之后感觉到平静。
My key messages would be:
我的关键信息是：
● No one knows when you are going to die, all doctors have are statistics.
无人知晓你何时将死去，所有医生拿的只是统计数据。
● Happiness is in the small and little things.. Time with family, reading a good book, listening to nice music, enjoying a movie.. Spending time on the beach, watching a sunset, nature, forest , a bird…
幸福就在小小的事情之中……和家人在一起时光，看一本好书，听美妙音乐，享受一场电影……花点时间在海滩上，观赏一次日落，自然，森林，一只鸟……
● Through charity work I started to appreciate what I have, there are sooo many underprivileged people who would dream of what we take as granted, running water, electricity, food,medicine, family.
通过慈善事业，我开始欣赏我所拥有的，有太多贫寒之人梦想着在我们看来理所当然的事，自来水，电，食物，药，家庭。
● Each night I count at least 10 things I'm grateful for in my life.
每天晚上，我都会数出在我一生中至少10件事情有所感激的。
● I also started to keep a journal of the things that make me really happy and doing more of that.
我也开始写日记，写那些令我真正快乐幸福的事情，并且做更多这样的事。
※ 水平粗浅，肯定有谬误，欢迎交流。