ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Stacey Kramer - Brand strategist
Stacey Kramer has traveled the United States and the world helping to create names and brands for growing companies.

Why you should listen

Co-founder of Brandplay, a brand strategy firm, Stacey Kramer also founded Word for Word, a naming and branding consultancy serving national and global companies -- from big, recognizable names to next year's newsmaking startups.

In 2009, Kramer found herself confronting a terrifying diagnosis: a CAT scan revealed she had a brain tumor -- the size of a golf ball. She told her remarkable, personal story at TED2010.

More profile about the speaker
Stacey Kramer | Speaker | TED.com
TED2010

Stacey Kramer: The best gift I ever survived

Filmed:
4,110,731 views

Stacey Kramer offers a moving, personal, 3-minute parable that shows how an unwanted experience -- frightening, traumatic, costly -- can turn out to be a priceless gift.
- Brand strategist
Stacey Kramer has traveled the United States and the world helping to create names and brands for growing companies. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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Imagine, if you will -- a gift.
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I'd like for you to picture it in your mind.
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It's not too big --
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about the size of a golf ball.
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So envision what it looks like all wrapped up.
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But before I show you what's inside,
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I will tell you, it's going to do incredible things for you.
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It will bring all of your family together.
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You will feel loved and appreciated like never before
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and reconnect with friends and acquaintances
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you haven't heard from in years.
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Adoration and admiration
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will overwhelm you.
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It will recalibrate what's most important in your life.
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It will redefine your sense
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of spirituality and faith.
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You'll have a new understanding
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and trust in your body.
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You'll have unsurpassed vitality and energy.
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You'll expand your vocabulary,
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meet new people,
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and you'll have a healthier lifestyle.
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And get this --
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you'll have an eight-week vacation
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of doing absolutely nothing.
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You'll eat countless gourmet meals.
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Flowers will arrive by the truckload.
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People will say to you,
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"You look great. Have you had any work done?"
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And you'll have a lifetime supply
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of good drugs.
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You'll be challenged, inspired,
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motivated and humbled.
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Your life will have new meaning.
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Peace, health,
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serenity, happiness,
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nirvana.
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The price?
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$55,000,
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and that's an incredible deal.
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By now I know you're dying to know
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what it is and where you can get one.
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Does Amazon carry it?
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Does it have the Apple logo on it?
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Is there a waiting list?
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Not likely.
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This gift came to me about five months ago.
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It looked more like this when it was all wrapped up --
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not quite so pretty.
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And this,
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and then this.
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It was a rare gem --
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a brain tumor,
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hemangioblastoma --
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the gift that keeps on giving.
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And while I'm okay now,
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I wouldn't wish this gift for you.
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I'm not sure you'd want it.
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But I wouldn't change my experience.
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It profoundly altered my life
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in ways I didn't expect
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in all the ways I just shared with you.
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So the next time you're faced
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with something that's unexpected,
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unwanted and uncertain,
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consider
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that it just may be a gift.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Stacey Kramer - Brand strategist
Stacey Kramer has traveled the United States and the world helping to create names and brands for growing companies.

Why you should listen

Co-founder of Brandplay, a brand strategy firm, Stacey Kramer also founded Word for Word, a naming and branding consultancy serving national and global companies -- from big, recognizable names to next year's newsmaking startups.

In 2009, Kramer found herself confronting a terrifying diagnosis: a CAT scan revealed she had a brain tumor -- the size of a golf ball. She told her remarkable, personal story at TED2010.

More profile about the speaker
Stacey Kramer | Speaker | TED.com