信仰的无穷力量 The Power of Belief
佚名/Anonymous
"You will never walk again. You will have to use a wheelchair." Unprepared for the doctor's grim prognosis, I heard his words fall heavily on my ears, numbing my soul. If I had never felt hopeless before, I felt hopeless then.
My catastrophic car accident had left me unconscious and in critical condition. I awakened to find both legs swathed in casts, the left one in traction to aid the healing of a broken hip and pelvis. While I had other serious injuries, my legs were my prime concern. Working as a special-needs teacher and "on the go" by nature, I couldn't imagine being confined, let alone an invalid.
Lying in my bed motionless and relying on prayer, I wondered how I could give my ten-year-old son hope that Mom would heal. He'd been cheerful on every visit, but I saw the fear in his eyes. Looking forward to having a totally handicapped mother and the implications of that were weighing heavily on his little shoulders. He needed the ray of hope that I would not be in a wheelchair forever.
Just maybe, I thought, I could use this experience to teach what to do when adversity strikes. But I wasn't just being altruistic. I needed something besides my physical healing to sink my Irish stubbornness into—it's that trait that kept me going through the toughest challenge of my life.
It didn't take me long to become impatient with my limited mobility and even with the pace the therapists were willing to go with me. I vowed to learn everything they showed me. Attempting to move on my own at night after the nurses' last rounds, I'm sure I broke every hospital rule. I needed to make things happen in my way. And being confined to a wheelchair the rest of my life didn't fit into my plans.
At first, I taught myself to move from the bed to the wheelchair. I made tiny movements for weeks, afraid of falling, but more afraid to just lie in bed. I reached a point where my arms were strong enough to swing me into the chair. Getting out of the chair and back into bed proved more difficult, but I soon developed a method of grabbing the sheets with one hand and the traction bar with the other. I wouldn't win any gymnastics competitions, but it worked. I often wondered what the nurses and therapists would have done if they'd seen me struggling on my own.
Once sure I could return myself to the bed from the wheelchair, I began to tackle a walker that had been left in my room by a former hospital roommate. If the nurses noticed that the wheelchair and walker were not where they had left them, they weren't saying anything. I wondered if a conspiracy of silence had developed: I wouldn't say anything about my secret therapy sessions, and they kept quiet as well.
Every night in my private room, as soon as I knew I wouldn't be interrupted or discovered, I would maneuver myself from the bed to the floor, holding on to the bed rail for dear life, and slowly putting my weight on my feet. After several weeks of these ever so difficult efforts, my strength and confidence continued to build. So came the ultimate challenge: alternating and moving my feet one inch at a time. I had dreams of striding briskly down the hall at school, playing dodge ball at recess, and driving again—grandiose dreams to be sure, but I knew one thing for certain: there would come a day when the wheelchair would be gone and I would walk.
It came the time to share my accomplishments with the person most important to me. One night, before my son arrived for his regular visit, I pulled myself into the chair and stationed the walker in front of me. When I heard him greet the nurses at the station, I dragged myself up. As he opened the door, I took a few small steps. Shocked, he could only watch as I turned and started back to bed. All of the pain, the fear, and the struggle faded as I heard the words I had longed to hear, "Mommy, you can walk!"
I am now able to walk alone, sometimes using a cane. I am able to take public transportation to shop and visit friends. My life has been blessed with many milestones and accomplishments of which I am proud. But none has ever brought me the satisfaction and joy offered by those four little words spoken by my son.
“你再也不能走路了，你得坐轮椅。”医生残酷的“判决”如五雷轰顶，几乎将我击晕。我毫无心理准备，那一刻，一种从未有过的绝望感袭上心头。
那场灾难性的车祸使我不省人事，生命垂危。醒来时，我发现两条腿都打着石膏，为了帮助髋骨和骨盆愈合，我的左腿被牵引起来。虽然身上还有其他更严重的伤，但最令我担心的还是这两条腿。我是一位特种需求的教师，且天生好动，我无法想象自己被困在轮椅上的情形，更别说要成为残疾了。
我躺在床上不能动弹，只能默默祈祷。我就想，怎样让我10岁的儿子对他妈妈的康复怀有希望呢？每次他来看我，都很高兴，但我仍能从他眼中读到恐惧。他一定对妈妈即将成为一个彻底的残疾人有所预料，这种打击对他来说太沉重了。他需要希望的曙光：妈妈不会永远待在轮椅上。
我觉得这是有望实现的，我以切身经历告诉人们怎样去面对已降临的灾难。但是，这并不是一种无私的行为。除了治疗身体的创伤外，我还需把爱尔兰人的顽强注入体内——正是这种品质使我能够应对生活中最严峻的挑战。
不久，我就对身体上的不灵活失去了耐性，甚至对治疗专家给我定下的治疗速度也失去了信心。我下定决心要把他们教给我的一切都学会。每天，在护士查完最后一次房，我都违反医院的规章制度，自己学着挪步。我想让事情按我的意愿发展，不想自己的后半生拴在轮椅上。
首先，我学着从床上挪到轮椅上，这一个动作竟花了我几个星期的时间，我很怕摔倒，可我更怕永远这样躺在床上。我努力锻炼，好让胳膊变得有力起来，能让我从轮椅中撑起。但是，从轮椅上起来，再回到床上的这个过程更困难。可我还是很快找到了方法，我一手抓床单，一手抓牵引横杠。虽然这种方法不会赢得任何体操比赛，但很管用。我常想：如果医护人员看到我独自挣扎的情形，会怎样呢？
当我觉得自己可以从轮椅回到病床上时，就开始试着用助行架，那是先前的一位病友留下的。即使护士们发现轮椅和助行架换了位置，他们也不会说什么的。我想知道，我们之间是不是有一种不谋而合的默契：对独自秘密治疗我绝口不提，他们也都保持缄默。
每天晚上，只要我觉得没人会进来了或是我不会被人发现，我就开始用力抓住床的横杆，慢慢站起身，从床上挪到地板上。经过数周的艰苦努力，我感到自己的力气不断变大，信心也不断增强。继而是最后的挑战：两腿交替前移，每次挪一英寸。我甚至幻想着在学校的礼堂阔步前行，休假时玩躲球游戏，还能开车——这的确是宏伟的梦想，但我坚信：终有一天，我会摆脱轮椅，自己走路。
终于，我迎来了与我生命中最重要的人分享成就的时刻。一天晚上，在儿子照常来看我前，我已经独自坐到了轮椅上，并将助行架放在了面前。听见儿子与值班护士打招呼时，我努力挣扎着站了起来。当他开门时，我挪了几小步，他大吃一惊，不知所措，只是呆望着。我转身又回到病床，终于听到了我渴盼已久的话：“妈妈，你能走路了！”此刻，一切的痛苦和恐惧都已不复存在。
现在，我可以自己走路了，偶尔会用一下拐杖。我可以自己乘公交车购物访友。生活中，我历经了许多转折点和成就，这些都让我无比自豪、备感欣慰。但儿子说出的那几个字是最令我心满意足的。
prognosis[prɔgˈnəusis]n.预知；预测
But despite this positive prognosis, we still have a problem—we cannot risk using these fuels.
即使有这种积极的预测，我们仍有一个问题——我们不能冒险去用这些燃料。
catastrophic[ˌkætəˈstrɔfik]adj.悲惨的；灾难的
A fire at this time of the year would be catastrophic.
一年中这个时候发生火灾将是具有灾难性的。
conspiracy[kənˈspirəsi]n.阴谋
It has recently come to light that a second official was implicated in the conspiracy.
最近有消息披露：又有一名高级官员与这个阴谋有牵连。
grandiose[ˈgrændiəus]adj.宏伟的；宏大的；堂皇的
It was an elaborate and grandiose opening.
这是精心制作并且宏大的开场。
除了治疗身体的创伤外，我还需把爱尔兰人的顽强注入体内——正是这种品质使我能够应对生活中最严峻的挑战。
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我想知道，我们之间是不是有一种不谋而合的默契：对独自秘密治疗我绝口不提，他们也都保持缄默。
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生活中，我历经了许多转折点和成就，这些都让我无比自豪、备感欣慰。但儿子说出的那几个字是最令我心满意足的。
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Lying in my bed motionless and relying on prayer, I wondered how I could give my ten-year-old son hope that Mom would heal.
rely on：依靠；依赖
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Attempting to move on my own at night after the nurses' last rounds, I'm sure I broke every hospital rule.
attempt to：企图；试图做某事
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