第8章 难忘的时刻My Unforgettable Moment

兰斯·阿姆斯特朗 /Lance Armstrong

The old saying that you should live each day as though it's your last is a nice sentiment, but it doesn't work. Take it from me. I tried it once and here's what I learned: if I pursued only happiness and lived just for the moment, I'd be a poor husband and father, a waster with a perpetual three-day growth on my chin. Cancer taught me that. Suffering, I learned, is as essential to a good life, and as inextricable as bliss.

Before cancer, whatever I imagined happiness to be, pretty soon I wore it out, took it for granted or threw it away. A portfolio, a Porsche, a coffee machine-these things were important to me. So was my hair. Then I lost them; including the hair.

When I was 25, I was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer, which had metastasized into my lungs and brain. I sold my car, gave up my career as a world-class cyclist, lost a good deal of money and barely hung on to my life. When I went into remission, I thought happiness would mean being self-indulgent. Not knowing how much time I had left, I did not intent to suffer ever again.

I had suffered months of fear, chemotherapy so strong it left burn-like marks under my skin and surgery to remove two tumours. Happiness to me then was waking up. I ate Mexican food, played golf and lay on the couch. The pursuit of happiness meant going to my favorite restaurant and pursuing a plate of enchiladas with tomatillo sauce.

Two events changed me. The f irst happened one night at dinner. My wife Kristin put down her fork and said, “You need to decide something: are you going to be a golf-playing, beer-drinking, Mexican-food-eating slob for the rest of your life? If you are, I'll still love you. But I need to know because, if so, I'll go and get a job. I'm not going to sit at home while you play golf.”

I stared at her.

“I'm so bored.”she said.

Suddenly I understood that I was bored, too. Bored and purposeless. I realized that responsibility, the routines and habits of shaving in the morning, having a job to do and a wife to love-these were the things that tied my days together and gave them a pattern deserving of the term living.

In days I was back on my bike. For the f irst time in my life, I rode with real strength and stamina-and purpose.

The second moment arrived along with the birth of my son Luck. I grew up without a father; he left home before I was able to walk. So I vowed that if I ever had a child, I would be there for him in every way-the whole way.

Because of cancer, having a child would obviously not be easy. I had my sperm frozen. Kristin had to have an operation, and Luke was conceived by in vitro fertilisation. He developed normally, but Kristin had trouble during the delivery. The baby was in crisis and doctors had to use forceps. He was tiny, blue, not crying and his lungs weren't f illing with air. So they grabbed him from Kristin, whisked him into a side room, put a mask over his face and pumped air into his lungs.

I remember I was just standing there helpless, Kristin looking at me, asking, “What's wrong? What's wrong?”And I didn't have any answers. I could see the doctors working, yet I was helpless. I had been through lot of scary stuff, but that topped everything.

Medical personnel dashed in and out of the room. I was thinking, “Cry, please cry.” I was petrif ied. At that moment I would have done anything just to hear him scream.

Then I saw them remove the mask. He opened his mouth and scrunched his face and let out a big, strong “Whaaaaaa!”

It sounded like the wail of life. I had wanted to show him, but he had just shown me, that life was about staying tough. You f ight to go on.

Cancer was the making of me: through fear and pain I became a more compassionate and intelligent man, husband and father-and therefore a more alive one.

I remember many nights after we f irst brought Luke home. Sometimes I'd lift him out of his cot and take him back to bed with me, and I'd lay him on my chest.

Every cry of his delighted me. He'd throw back his head and his chin would tremble, his hands would claw the air and he'd wail. “Yeah, that's right.” I'd tell him. “Go on.”

俗话说：“你应当把每一天都当做生命的最后一天来过。”这个观点确实不错，但起不到什么作用。以我为例，我曾经这样试过，以下就是我所得到的教训：假如我一味贪图享乐，只为一时的快活而生活的话，我将会变成一个糟糕的丈夫和父亲、一个一连三天都不刮胡子的废物。癌症让我认识到：困难是幸福生活中必不可少的一部分，并且如同福祐一般美妙至极。

在患癌症之前，凡是我能想象得到的所有快乐，统统让我感到厌烦，或者在厌烦之后就将其搁置一边。一个公文包、一辆保时捷、一台咖啡机——这些东西对我来说都至关重要，当然，其中还包括我的头发。然而我却失去了这一切，连同我的头发。

在我二十五岁的时候，我被诊断患上睾丸癌，而且已进入晚期，癌细胞已经扩散到了肺部和大脑。我卖掉了汽车，放弃了成为一名世界级自行车手的梦想，治病花了很大一笔钱，差点连命也丢掉了。等身体好些之后，我觉得快乐就意味着自我放纵。谁也不知道我还剩下多少时间，我再也不想在剩下的时间里忍受煎熬了。

几个月以来，我尝尽了恐惧的折磨，大剂量的化疗在我的皮肤上留下了烧伤般的烙印，除此之外，我还经历了一次手术——同时将两个肿瘤切除。那时，我猛然领悟到应该享受快乐的滋味。因此，我吃墨西哥食物，打高尔夫球，懒洋洋地躺在睡椅上。对我来说，追逐快乐就是去最中意的餐厅，惬意地享受一盘加了黏果酸酱汁的墨西哥肉酱玉米卷。

但是，两件事情改变了我。第一件事发生在一次晚饭后。我的妻子克里斯汀放下手中的餐具，对我说：“你必须做出决定：下半辈子你是不是想沦为一个只会打高尔夫、喝啤酒和吃墨西哥食物的懒汉？如果是的话，我依然爱你。可我必须知道你的决定，假如真是那样，我就要外出找份工作，我不想在你打高尔夫的时候还在家里待着。”

我目不转睛地望着她。

“我觉得无聊透顶！”她说道。

突然之间，我意识到自己已经无聊至极，生活已没有目标。我意识到所要承担的责任、每天早上刮胡子，有一份工作、一个值得我爱的妻子，所有这一切构成了我的生活，而这也是生命意义之所在。

几天后，我又重新回到了自行车的车座上。在我的生命中，我第一次真正用体力和毅力去为一个明确的目标前行。

改变我的第二个时刻是随着儿子卢克的降生而到来的。我生长在缺少父爱的家庭里，在我还不会走路之前，父亲就离开了家。因此，我曾立下誓言，假如我有了自己的孩子，我一定会给他全面的呵护。

因为患有癌症，想要一个孩子显然不是那么容易的一件事。我采用了**冷冻的方法，而克里斯汀必须要接受一次手术。通过人工授精的方法，她怀上了卢克。胎儿正常地生长着，但是在分娩的时候，克里斯汀却遇到了困难。婴儿命在旦夕，医生只好用镊子把他夹了出来。他是那么小，肤色发青，没有哭闹声，他的肺里竟然没有氧气！因此，他们把他从克里斯汀的身旁抱走，带他进到另一个病房，把一个面罩罩在他的脸上，将氧气打进他的肺里。

我记得自己无助地站在那里，克里斯汀看着我不停地问：“这是怎么回事？孩子到底怎么了？”而我却无法回答她。看着医生们忙忙碌碌，我却帮不上忙。尽管经历过许多可怕的事情，但此刻的焦虑已经超越了以往所有的恐惧。

医生们在那间病房不停地进出，我在心里祈求道：“哭吧，快哭一声吧。”我已经被吓呆了，那一刻，我愿意做任何事，只为能听到他的一声哭喊。

接着，我看到他们把面罩从他的脸上拿开，他张着小嘴，脸都扭成了一团，然后发出了响亮而有力的一声哭喊：“哇！”

这就是生命的哀号。我一度想来教导他，然而如今他却向我证明了一点：活着，就要坚强。只有不断拼搏，生命才能继续。

癌症成就了如今的我：经历了恐惧和痛苦，我变成了一个更富有同情心、更具智慧的人，一位丈夫和一位父亲，因此，我活得更有意义了。

初次把卢克抱回家后的那无数个夜晚我依然记忆犹新。有的时候，我会把卢克从小床里抱出来，抱到我的**，让他躺在我的胸口上一起睡。

他的每一声哭喊都让我感到喜悦。他会把头往后一仰，下巴打着颤，小手在空中乱抓，然后放声号啕大哭。“好样的，这就对了，”我鼓励着他，“哭吧，继续放声大哭吧。”

记忆填空

1._______ cancer, whatever I imagined happiness to be, pretty_______ I wore it out, took it for granted or threw it away. A portfolio, a Porsche, a coffee machine-these_______were important to me._______was my hair. Then I_______them; including the hair.

2._______I went into remission, I thought happiness would_______ being self-indulgent. Not knowing how much_______I had left, I did not intent to suffer_______ again.

3.It sounded_______the wail of life. I had wanted to_______ him, but he had just shown me, that life was about_______ tough. You f ight to go_______.

佳句翻译

1.困难是幸福生活中必不可少的一部分，并且如同福祐一般美妙至极。

译_______________________________________________________________

2.谁也不知道我还剩下多少时间，我再也不想在剩下的时间里忍受煎熬了。

译_______________________________________________________________

3.只有不断拼搏，生命才能继续。

译_______________________________________________________________

短语应用

1.Before cancer, whatever I imagined happiness to be, pretty soon I wore it out, took it for granted or threw it away.

throw away：扔掉，抛弃

造_______________________________________________________________

2.I stared at her.

stare at：目不转睛地看，凝视

造_______________________________________________________________