ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suleika Jaouad - Writer, teacher, activist
Writer Suleika Jaouad is changing the conversation about what it means to thrive in the wake of illness and life's unexpected interruptions.

Why you should listen

When Suleika Jaouad finally walked out of the hospital -- after countless rounds of chemo, a lifesaving clinical trial and a bone marrow transplant -- she was, according to the doctors, "cured." But as she would soon learn, a cure is not where the work of healing ends; it's where it begins. She set out on a 100-day, 15,000-mile road trip across the country to meet some of the people who had written to her during her time in the hospital. Her extraordinary journey resulted in her debut memoir, Between Two Kingdoms.

Jaouad is an Emmy-winning journalist, author, teacher and activist. Her career aspirations as a foreign correspondent were cut short when, at age 22, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She began writing the acclaimed New York Times column and video series "Life, Interrupted" from the front lines of her hospital bed and has since become a fierce advocate for those living with illness and other forms of adversity.

Jaouad served on Barack Obama's Presidential Cancer Panel, and her advocacy work, public speaking and reporting have brought her everywhere from the United Nations and Capitol Hill to a maximum security prison and a two-room schoolhouse in rural Montana.

More profile about the speaker
Suleika Jaouad | Speaker | TED.com
TED2019

Suleika Jaouad: What almost dying taught me about living

蘇萊卡 傑烏亞德: 瀕死經歷教導我人生的意義

Filmed:
2,529,592 views

作家蘇萊卡傑 烏亞德說:「當癌症治好後,我的癌症經歷中最辛苦的部分才開始。」在這場強烈、有趣又有智慧的演說中,她要我們試著從框架外去思考「生病」及「健康」的定義,也問道:「在原本的人生被打斷之後,你要如何重新出發並找到新的人生意義?」
- Writer, teacher, activist
Writer Suleika Jaouad is changing the conversation about what it means to thrive in the wake of illness and life's unexpected interruptions. Full bio

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

00:12
It was the spring彈簧 of 2011,
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2011 年春天,
00:15
and as they like to say
in commencement開始 speeches演講,
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套用大家在畢業典禮
演說中很喜歡用的說法,
00:18
I was getting得到 ready準備
to enter輸入 the real真實 world世界.
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我準備好要進入真實的世界。
00:22
I had recently最近 graduated畢業 from college學院
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我剛從大學畢業,
00:25
and moved移動 to Paris巴黎 to start開始 my first job工作.
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搬到巴黎,開始我的第一份工作。
00:28
My dream夢想 was to become成為
a war戰爭 correspondent通信者,
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我曾夢想成為戰地記者,
00:32
but the real真實 world世界 that I found發現
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但,我發現的真實世界,
00:35
took me into a really different不同
kind of conflict衝突 zone.
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帶我進入了一個
非常不同的衝突地帶。
00:40
At 22 years年份 old,
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22 歲時,
00:43
I was diagnosed確診 with leukemia白血病.
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我被診斷出白血病。
00:46
The doctors醫生 told me
and my parents父母, point-blank直射的,
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醫生直截了當地告訴我和我父母,
00:50
that I had about a 35 percent百分 chance機會
of long-term長期 survival生存.
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我能長期存活的機率是 35% 。
00:56
I couldn't不能 wrap my head around
what that prognosis預測 meant意味著.
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我無法去想那預後所代表的意義。
01:00
But I understood了解 that the reality現實
and the life I'd imagined想像 for myself
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但我了解,我曾想像
自己可以擁有的現實和人生
01:05
had shattered破滅.
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都粉碎了。
01:07
Overnight過夜, I lost丟失 my job工作,
my apartment公寓, my independence獨立,
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一夕之間,我失去了我的工作、
我的公寓、我的獨立性,
01:12
and I became成為 patient患者 number 5624.
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而我成為 5624 號病人。
01:18
Over the next下一個 four years年份
of chemo化療, a clinical臨床 trial審訊
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接下來四年的化療、臨床實驗,
01:22
and a bone marrow骨髓 transplant移植,
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以及骨髓移植,
01:24
the hospital醫院 became成為 my home,
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讓醫院成了我的家、
01:26
my bed, the place地點 I lived生活 24/7.
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我的床,我一天 24 小時,
一週 7 天都住在此。
01:30
Since以來 it was unlikely不會
that I'd ever get better,
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因為我似乎不可能變好,
01:33
I had to accept接受 my new reality現實.
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我得要接受我的新現實。
01:37
And I adapted適應.
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我適應了。
01:40
I became成為 fluent流利 in medicalese醫學,
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我會說流利的醫療語言,
01:43
made製作 friends朋友 with a group
of other young年輕 cancer癌症 patients耐心,
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和一群年輕的癌症病人成為朋友,
01:48
built內置 a vast廣大 collection採集 of neon wigs假髮
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收集了大量的亮麗假髮,
01:52
and learned學到了 to use
my rolling壓延 IVIV pole as a skateboard滑板.
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並學會把我那支有輪子的點滴架
當成滑板來玩。
01:59
I even achieved實現 my dream夢想
of becoming變得 a war戰爭 correspondent通信者,
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我甚至達成了當戰地記者的夢想,
02:03
although雖然 not in the way I'd expected預期.
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不過不是我預期的樣子。
02:06
It started開始 with a blog博客,
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一開始是一個部落格,
02:07
reporting報告 from the front面前 lines
of my hospital醫院 bed,
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從我的醫院病床前線報導,
02:10
and it morphed演變 into a column
I wrote for the New York紐約 Times,
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後來演變成我為
《紐約時報》寫的一個專欄,
02:14
called "Life, Interrupted打斷."
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叫做「人生,被打斷」。
02:16
But --
(Applause掌聲)
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但——(掌聲)謝謝。
02:17
Thank you.
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02:19
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
02:21
But above以上 all else其他,
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但最重要的,
02:23
my focus焦點 was on surviving倖存.
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我把焦點放在活下來這件事上,
02:27
And -- spoiler擾流板 alert警報 --
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且——警告,有雷——
02:30
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
02:32
I did survive生存, yeah.
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我活下來了,沒錯。
02:34
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
02:39
Thanks謝謝 to an army軍隊 of supportive支持 humans人類,
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感謝一大群支持我的人,
02:42
I'm not just still here,
I am cured治愈 of my cancer癌症.
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我不僅還健在,
我的癌症也治癒了。
02:46
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
02:48
Thank you.
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謝謝。
02:49
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
02:51
So, when you go through通過
a traumatic創傷 experience經驗 like this,
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當你走過像這樣的創傷經歷,
02:55
people treat對待 you differently不同.
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大家對待你的方式會不同。
02:57
They start開始 telling告訴 you
how much of an inspiration靈感 you are.
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他們會開始告訴你,
你很激勵人心,
03:02
They say you're a warrior戰士.
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說你是生命鬥士,
03:04
They call you a hero英雄,
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或稱你為英雄,
03:06
someone有人 who's誰是 lived生活
the mythical神話 hero's英雄的 journey旅程,
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一名活出神話英雄般冒險的偉人,
03:09
who's誰是 endured忍受 impossible不可能 trials試驗
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撐過了不可能的試煉,
03:11
and, against反對 the odds可能性,
lived生活 to tell the tale故事,
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克服萬難後,活下來訴說這個事蹟。
03:14
returning回國 better and braver勇敢
for what you're been through通過.
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在你經歷過後變得更好、更勇敢。
03:19
And this definitely無疑 lines up
with my experience經驗.
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而這非常符合我所經歷的一切。
03:24
Cancer癌症 totally完全 transformed改造 my life.
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癌症徹底改變了我的人生。
03:26
I left the hospital醫院 knowing會心
exactly究竟 who I was
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離開醫院時,
我很清楚知道我是誰,
03:29
and what I wanted to do in the world世界.
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及我想要在這個世界上做什麼。
03:31
And now, every一切 day as the sun太陽 rises上升,
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現在,每天太陽升起時,
03:34
I drink a big glass玻璃 of celery芹菜 juice果汁,
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在我喝完一大杯西芹汁後,
03:37
and I follow跟隨 this up
with 90 minutes分鐘 of yoga瑜伽.
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我會做 90 分鐘的瑜伽。
03:40
Then, I write down 50 things
I'm grateful感激 for onto a scroll滾動 of paper
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接著,我會在紙卷上寫下
我感激的 50 件事物,
03:46
that I fold into an origami摺紙 crane起重機
and send發送 sailing帆船 out my window窗口.
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然後摺成紙鶴,
讓它從我的窗戶翱翔出去。
03:51
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:53
Are you seriously認真地 believing相信 any of this?
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你們真的相信這些嗎?
03:56
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:58
I don't do any of these things.
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剛剛說的我一樣也沒有做。
04:00
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
04:01
I hate討厭 yoga瑜伽, and I have no idea理念
how to fold an origami摺紙 crane起重機.
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我討厭做瑜伽,
也不知道怎麼摺紙鶴。
04:07
The truth真相 is that for me,
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事實是,對我而言,
04:09
the hardest最難 part部分 of my cancer癌症 experience經驗
began開始 once一旦 the cancer癌症 was gone走了.
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最艱難的癌症經歷
在我治好癌症後才真正的開始。
04:15
That heroic英勇 journey旅程
of the survivor倖存者 we see in movies電影
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我們在電影中、在 IG 上會看到
04:19
and watch play out on InstagramInstagram的 --
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倖存者的英勇旅程——
04:21
it's a myth神話.
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那只是迷思。
04:22
It isn't just untrue不確實, it's dangerous危險,
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它不僅不是真的,還很危險,
04:25
because it erases清除 the very real真實
challenges挑戰 of recovery復甦.
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因為它會抹除了康復過程中
最現實的挑戰。
04:29
Now, don't get me wrong錯誤 --
I am incredibly令人難以置信 grateful感激 to be alive,
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別誤會我的意思——
我很感恩我還能活著
04:35
and I am painfully痛苦 aware知道的
that this struggle鬥爭 is a privilege特權
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我深刻地了解這種掙扎
是許多人無法體會到的特權。
04:38
that many許多 don't get to experience經驗.
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04:41
But it's important重要 that I tell you
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但,很重要的是,我要讓各位了解
04:43
what this projection投影 of heroism英雄主義
and expectation期望 of constant不變 gratitude感謝
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這種將英雄主義投射在
嘗試復元的人身上,
並認為他們應時時抱持感恩的
期望,對他們有什麼影響。
04:49
does to people who are trying to recover恢復.
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04:51
Because being存在 cured治愈 is not
where the work of healing復原 ends結束.
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因為病被治好了並不表示
療癒的工作已完成了。
04:56
It's where it begins開始.
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療癒其實才剛開始。
04:59
I'll never forget忘記 the day
I was discharged出院 from the hospital醫院,
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我永遠不會忘記我出院的那一天,
05:03
finally最後 doneDONE with treatment治療.
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終於不用再治療了。
05:06
Those four years年份 of chemo化療
had taken採取 a toll收費 on my relationship關係
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化療的那四年傷害了
我和多年男友的關係,
05:12
with my longtime長時間 boyfriend男朋友,
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05:14
and he'd他會 recently最近 moved移動 out.
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他不久前才搬出去。
05:17
And when I walked
into my apartment公寓, it was quiet安靜.
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我走進我的公寓,裡面好安靜。
05:21
Eerily詭異 so.
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怪異恐怖式的安靜。
05:24
The person I wanted to call
in this moment時刻,
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此刻,我想打電話聊天的對象,
05:26
the person who I knew知道
would understand理解 everything,
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我知道能懂我的那個人,
05:30
was my friend朋友 Melissa梅利莎.
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是我的朋友梅莉莎。
05:32
She was a fellow同伴 cancer癌症 patient患者,
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她也是癌症病人,
05:34
but she had died死亡 three weeks earlier.
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但她在三星期前過世了。
05:38
As I stood站在 there in the doorway門口
of my apartment公寓,
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當我站在我的公寓的門廊時,
05:41
I wanted to cry.
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我好想哭。
05:43
But I was too tired to cry.
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但我已經累到哭不出來。
05:46
The adrenaline腎上腺素 was gone走了.
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腎上腺素沒了。
05:48
I had felt as if the inner scaffolding腳手架
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我覺得,從我被診斷出癌症之後
05:51
that had held保持 me together一起
since以來 my diagnosis診斷
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就一直支撐著我的內在支架,
05:53
had suddenly突然 crumbled崩潰.
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突然瓦解了。
05:56
I had spent花費 the past過去 1,500 days
working加工 tirelessly孜孜不倦地 to achieve實現 one goal目標:
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我不屈不撓地把過去
一千五百天都投入在
達成一個目標上:活下來。
06:03
to survive生存.
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06:04
And now that I'd doneDONE so,
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現在我已經辦到了,
06:06
I realized實現 I had absolutely絕對
no idea理念 how to live生活.
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我發現我完全
不知道要如何活下去。
06:13
On paper, of course課程, I was better:
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從書面資料來看,我的確變好了:
06:16
I didn't have leukemia白血病,
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我沒有白血病了,
06:18
my blood血液 counts計數 were back no normal正常,
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我的血球數恢復正常,
06:20
and the disability失能 checks檢查
soon不久 stopped停止 coming未來.
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也不再收到身障給付支票。
06:23
To the outside world世界,
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對外界來說,
06:24
I clearly明確地 didn't belong屬於 in the kingdom王國
of the sick生病 anymore.
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我很顯然不再是
病人王國的一份子。
06:29
But in reality現實, I never felt
further進一步 from being存在 well.
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但在現實中,我一點都沒有
覺得自己已經好了。
06:34
All that chemo化療 had taken採取
a permanent常駐 physical物理 toll收費 on my body身體.
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那些化療讓我的身體
受到永久的實體損害。
06:39
I wondered想知道, "What kind of job工作 can I hold保持
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我納悶:「我這種人
能找到什麼工作?
06:43
when I need to nap小憩 for four hours小時
in the middle中間 of the day?
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我白天需要午睡四個小時。
06:47
When my misfiring啞火 immune免疫的 system系統
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我的免疫系統不時會出錯,
06:49
still sends發送 me to the ERER
on a regular定期 basis基礎?"
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讓我經常被送去急診。」
06:53
And then there were the invisible無形,
psychological心理 imprints印記
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而且,我的疾病還留下了
看不見的心理烙印:
06:57
my illness疾病 had left behind背後:
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06:59
the fears恐懼 of relapse復發,
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對疾病復發的恐懼、
07:02
the unprocessed grief哀思,
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沒有處理的悲傷、
07:04
the demons惡魔 of PTSDPTSD that descended下降 upon me
for days, sometimes有時 weeks.
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有時會持續數日甚至數週的
「創傷後壓力症候群」。
07:10
See, we talk about reentry再入
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大家談的重返社會,
07:13
in the context上下文 of war戰爭 and incarceration監禁.
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是針對經歷過戰爭
和被監禁的人而言。
07:16
But we don't talk about it as much
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但我們不太會談到
07:18
in the context上下文 of other kinds
of traumatic創傷 experiences經驗, like an illness疾病.
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其他類型的創傷經歷,如疾病。
07:23
Because no one had warned警告 me
of the challenges挑戰 of reentry再入,
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因為沒有人警告過我
重返社會要面臨的挑戰,
07:27
I thought something must必須 be wrong錯誤 with me.
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我以為是我自己的問題。
07:30
I felt ashamed羞愧,
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我感到羞愧,
07:32
and with great guilt有罪,
I kept不停 reminding提醒 myself
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帶著很強的罪惡感,
我不斷提醒我自己,
07:36
of how lucky幸運 I was to be alive at all,
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我光是能活著就很幸運了,
07:38
when so many許多 people
like my friend朋友 Melissa梅利莎 were not.
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我的朋友梅莉莎,
還有好多人沒有這種好運。
07:42
But on most days, I woke醒來 up
feeling感覺 so sad傷心 and lost丟失,
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但在大部分的日子裡,
我每天起床都很悲傷和失落,
07:46
I could barely僅僅 breathe呼吸.
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而且幾乎無法呼吸。
07:48
Sometimes有時, I even fantasized幻想
about getting得到 sick生病 again.
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有時,我甚至會幻想再次生病。
07:53
And let me tell you,
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讓我告訴各位,
07:54
there are so many許多 better things
to fantasize夢想 about
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當你二十多歲,且剛恢復單身時,
其實有許多更好的事情可以幻想。
07:58
when you're in your twenties二十多歲
and recently最近 single.
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08:01
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
08:03
But I missed錯過 the hospital's醫院 ecosystem生態系統.
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但我懷念醫院的生活。
08:07
Like me, everyone大家 in there was broken破碎.
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在醫院,所有人都跟我一樣破碎。
08:10
But out here, among其中 the living活的,
I felt like an impostor騙子,
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但在外頭,在活著的人當中,
我覺得自己像個騙子,
08:15
overwhelmed不堪重負 and unable無法 to function功能.
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不知所從,無法正常運作。
08:18
I also missed錯過 the sense of clarity明晰
I'd felt at my sickest最病.
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我也懷念在我病得最重時的清澈感。
08:23
Staring凝視 your mortality死亡 straight直行 in the eye
has a way of simplifying簡化 things,
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直視著你有限的生命,
讓一切變得更簡單,
08:28
of rerouting重新路由 your focus焦點
to what really matters事項.
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讓你把焦點放到真正重要之處。
08:32
And when I was sick生病,
I vowed誓言 that if I survived倖存,
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我生病時,我發誓如果我活下來,
一定要為了什麼而活,
08:35
it had to be for something.
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08:36
It had to be to live生活 a good life,
an adventurous愛冒險的 life,
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一定要好好過人生,
過一個冒險的人生、
08:39
a meaningful富有意義的 one.
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一個有意義的人生。
08:41
But the question, once一旦 I was cured治愈,
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但我被治癒之後,
問題就變成:要怎麼做呢?
08:44
became成為: How?
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08:46
I was 27 years年份 old
with no job工作, no partner夥伴, no structure結構體.
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我二十七歲,沒有工作、
沒有伴侶、生活沒有架構。
08:51
And this time, I didn't have treatment治療
protocols協議 or discharge卸貨 instructions說明
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這次,沒有治療大綱或出院指示
08:56
to help guide指南 my way forward前鋒.
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來協助引導我向前走。
08:58
But what I did have was an in-box箱內
full充分 of internet互聯網 messages消息
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但,我所擁有的,
是收件匣中裝滿了
來自陌生人的網路訊息。
09:04
from strangers陌生人.
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09:06
Over the years年份,
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數年來,世界各地的人
讀了我的專欄之後,
09:08
people from all over the world世界
had read my column,
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會用信件、留言、
電子郵件來回應我。
09:10
and they'd他們會 responded回應 with letters,
comments註釋 and emails電子郵件.
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09:16
It was a mix混合, as is often經常
the case案件, for writers作家.
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那對於作家來說是大雜燴。
09:21
I got a lot of unsolicited不請自來 advice忠告
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我得到許多不請自來的建議,
09:24
about how to cure治愈 my cancer癌症
with things like essential必要 oils.
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告訴我要如何用像是精油
之類的東西來治療我的癌症。
09:29
I got some questions問題 about my bra胸罩 size尺寸.
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還有人問我的胸罩尺寸。
09:32
But mostly大多 --
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但,大部分——
09:34
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
09:35
mostly大多, I heard聽說 from people who,
in their own擁有 different不同 way,
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大部分寫信給我的人
都是用他們自己的方式,
09:40
understood了解 what it was
that I was going through通過.
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來理解我所經歷的。
09:43
I heard聽說 from a teenage青少年 girl女孩 in Florida佛羅里達
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有位佛羅里達的青少女聯絡我,
09:46
who, like me, was coming未來 out of chemo化療
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她跟我一樣,剛結束化療,
09:48
and wrote me a message信息
composed largely大部分 of emojis表情符號.
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她寫給我的訊息主要
是由表情符號組成的。
09:53
I heard聽說 from a retired退休 art藝術 history歷史
professor教授 in Ohio俄亥俄州 named命名 Howard霍華德,
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還有一位是俄亥俄州的
退休藝術史教授霍華,
09:59
who'd誰願意 spent花費 most of his life
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他一生中大部分的時間
10:00
struggling奮鬥的 with a mysterious神秘,
debilitating衰弱 health健康 condition條件
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都在對抗一種使他
逐漸衰弱的神秘疾病,
10:04
that he'd他會 had from the time
he was a young年輕 man.
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他從年輕時就得到這種病。
10:07
I heard聽說 from an inmate犯人
on death死亡 row in Texas德州
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還有一位德州的死囚,
10:12
by the name名稱 of Little GQGQ --
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叫做小 GQ——
10:14
short for "Gangster黑幫 Quinn奎因."
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GQ 是「幫派混混昆恩」的縮寫。
10:17
He'd他會 never been sick生病 a day in his life.
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他一生中都沒有生過病。
10:19
He does 1,000 push-ups俯臥撑
to start開始 off each morning早上.
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每天早晨他從做
一千個伏地挺身開始。
10:22
But he related有關 to what
I described描述 in one column
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但我在一個專欄中寫的內容,
讓他感同身受到是
我的「癌症監禁」,
10:25
as my "incanceration癌症,"
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10:27
and to the experience經驗 of being存在 confined受限
to a tiny fluorescent room房間.
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讓我被侷限在一個
小小的螢光房間中。
10:33
"I know that our situations情況
are different不同," he wrote to me,
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他信上這麼寫著:
「我知道我們的情況不同,
10:37
"But the threat威脅 of death死亡
lurks潛伏著 in both of our shadows陰影."
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但死亡的威脅
在我們的影子裡虎視眈眈。」
10:43
In those lonely孤獨 first weeks
and months個月 of my recovery復甦,
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在我恢復後的前幾週、
幾個月,我十分寂寞,
10:47
these strangers陌生人 and their words
became成為 lifelines生命線,
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這些陌生人和他們的
話語成了我的生命線,
10:51
dispatches急件 from people
of so many許多 different不同 backgrounds背景,
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雖然是來自背景如此迥然不同的人,
10:54
with so many許多 different不同 experiences經驗,
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有這麼多不同的經歷,
10:56
all showing展示 me the same相同 thing:
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他們卻都告訴我同樣一件事:
11:01
you can be held保持 hostage人質
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你可以被你所遇到過
最糟糕的事情給綁架,
11:03
by the worst最差 thing
that's ever happened發生 to you
196
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11:06
and allow允許 it to hijack劫持
your remaining其餘 days,
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並讓它挾持你所有剩下的日子,
11:10
or you can find a way forward前鋒.
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或者,你可以找到
一個向前走的方式。
11:14
I knew知道 I needed需要 to make
some kind of change更改.
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我知道我需要做某種改變。
11:18
I wanted to be in motion運動 again
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我想要再次動起來,
11:21
to figure數字 out how to unstuck脫膠 myself
and to get back out into the world世界.
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想辦法讓自己從現狀脫身,
回到外面的世界。
11:26
And so I decided決定 to go on
a real真實 journey旅程 --
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所以我決定踏上
一段真正的旅行——
11:31
not the bullshit廢話 cancer癌症 one
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不是大家認為我應該去做的
11:35
or the mythical神話 hero's英雄的 journey旅程
that everyone大家 thought I should be on,
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狗屁癌症之旅或神話英雄之旅,
11:38
but a real真實, pack-your-bags包裝您的包
kind of journey旅程.
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而是真正要打包的那種旅行。
11:42
I put everything I owned擁有的 into storage存儲,
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我把我擁有的所有東西
都放到儲藏室,
11:47
rented out my apartment公寓, borrowed a car汽車
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把我的公寓租出去,借了一台車,
11:50
and talked a very a dear
but somewhat有些 smelly friend朋友
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說服了一個很親密
但又有點臭的朋友,
11:55
into joining加盟 me.
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去伴隨我的旅行。
11:56
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
11:59
Together一起, my dog Oscar奧斯卡 and I
embarked開始 on a 15,000-mile-英里 road trip
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我和我的狗奧斯卡一起展開了
一萬五千英里的全美公路之旅。
12:04
around the United聯合的 States狀態.
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12:07
Along沿 the way, we visited參觀 some
of those strangers陌生人 who'd誰願意 written書面 to me.
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一路上,我們去拜訪了
一些寫信給我的陌生人。
12:12
I needed需要 their advice忠告,
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我需要他們的建議,
12:14
also to say to them, thank you.
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也需要對他們說聲謝謝。
12:17
I went to Ohio俄亥俄州 and stayed with Howard霍華德,
the retired退休 professor教授.
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我們去俄亥俄州,
住在退休教授霍華家。
12:23
When you've suffered遭遇 a loss失利 or a trauma外傷,
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當你失去過或是受過創傷,
12:26
the impulse衝動 can be to guard守衛 your heart.
218
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自然會築起心防。
12:29
But Howard霍華德 urged敦促 me
to open打開 myself up to uncertainty不確定,
219
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4231
但霍華鼓勵我打開自己,
去面對不確定性,
12:33
to the possibilities可能性
of new love, new loss失利.
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面對新的機會,
不論是新愛或是新的失去。
12:38
Howard霍華德 will never be cured治愈 of illness疾病.
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霍華的疾病永遠不會好。
12:41
And as a young年輕 man, he had no way
of predicting預測 how long he'd他會 live生活.
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年輕時,他完全無法
預測他能活多久。
12:44
But that didn't stop him
from getting得到 married已婚.
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但那並沒有阻止他結婚。
12:47
Howard霍華德 has grandkids孫子 now,
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1944
現在霍華都有孫子了,
12:49
and takes weekly每週 ballroom舞廳 dancing跳舞
lessons教訓 with his wife妻子.
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每週還會跟太太去上交際舞的課。
12:53
When I visited參觀 them,
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我拜訪他們時,
12:55
they’d recently最近 celebrated著名
their 50th anniversary週年.
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他們才剛慶祝完結婚五十週年。
12:59
In his letter to me, he'd他會 written書面,
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他給我的信上寫到:
13:02
"Meaning含義 is not found發現
in the material材料 realm領域;
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「你無法在物質王國找到意義;
13:05
it's not in dinner晚餐, jazz爵士樂,
cocktails雞尾酒 or conversation會話.
230
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4087
它並不存在於晚餐、爵士樂、
雞尾酒,或對話當中。
13:09
Meaning含義 is what's left
when everything else其他 is stripped剝離 away."
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當所有其他的一切都被奪去時,
剩下的才是意義。」
13:14
I went to Texas德州, and I visited參觀
Little GQGQ on death死亡 row.
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我去德州拜訪了死囚小 GQ。
13:19
He asked me what I did
to pass通過 all that time
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他問我,我在醫院病房時
13:23
I'd spent花費 in a hospital醫院 room房間.
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怎麼打發時間。
13:26
When I told him that I got
really, really good at Scrabble亂塗,
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我告訴他,我把拼字遊戲
玩到出神入化,
13:30
he said, "Me, too!" and explained解釋 how,
236
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他說:「我也是!」並解釋,
13:34
even though雖然 he spends most of his days
in solitary confinement坐月子,
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雖然他大部分的時間
都待在單獨監禁室,
13:37
he and his neighboring鄰接 prisoners囚犯
make board games遊戲 out of paper
238
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4005
他和附近的囚犯仍然
想辦法在紙上玩桌遊,
13:41
and call out their plays播放
through通過 their meal膳食 slots插槽 --
239
809451
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透過送餐的小洞口喊出
他們的下一步棋——
13:45
a testament遺囑 to the incredible難以置信 tenacity韌性
of the human人的 spirit精神
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證明了人類精神的堅韌,
13:51
and our ability能力 to adapt適應 with creativity創造力.
241
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3622
以及我們透過創意來適應的能力。
13:56
And my last stop was in Florida佛羅里達,
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我的最後一站是佛羅里達州,
13:58
to see that teenage青少年 girl女孩
who'd誰願意 sent發送 me all those emojis表情符號.
243
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3487
去拜訪寫給我一堆
表情符號的青少女。
14:02
Her name名稱 is Unique獨特, which哪一個 is perfect完善,
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3142
她的名字很完美,
叫做尤妮克(獨特),
14:05
because she's the most luminous發光的,
curious好奇 person I've ever met會見.
245
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4168
因為她是我所見過最光芒四射、
最有好奇心的人。
14:10
I asked her what she wants
to do next下一個 and she said,
246
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2930
我問她,她接下來
想要做什麼,她說:
14:13
"I want to go to college學院 and travel旅行
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「我想要讀大學,去旅行,
14:15
and eat weird奇怪的 foods食品 like octopus章魚
that I've never tasted before
248
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3133
吃我以前從來沒有嚐過的
怪異食物,像章魚,
14:18
and come visit訪問 you in New York紐約
249
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1520
以及到紐約拜訪你,
14:20
and go camping露營, but I'm scared害怕 of bugs蟲子,
250
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1904
然後去露營,但我很怕蟲子,
14:22
but I still want to go camping露營."
251
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1720
但我仍然想要去露營。」
14:25
I was in awe威嚴 of her,
252
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2428
她讓我很敬佩,
14:28
that she could be so optimistic樂觀
and so full充分 of plans計劃 for the future未來,
253
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5270
她能如此樂觀,
對未來有滿滿的計畫,
14:33
given特定 everything she'd been through通過.
254
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1917
且是在她經歷過這麼多病苦之後。
14:36
But as Unique獨特 showed顯示 me,
255
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1675
但尤妮克讓我看到的是,
14:37
it is far more radical激進
and dangerous危險 to have hope希望
256
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4857
擁有希望,比起活在恐懼中,
遠遠來得更激進、更危險。
14:42
than to live生活 hemmed包圍 in by fear恐懼.
257
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2066
14:46
But the most important重要 thing
I learned學到了 on that road trip
258
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4381
但,我從這次公路之旅
所學到最重要的一課,
14:51
is that the divide劃分 between之間
the sick生病 and the well --
259
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4179
就是生病和健康之間的劃分——
14:55
it doesn't exist存在.
260
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1373
並不存在。
14:57
The border邊境 is porous多孔.
261
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2126
這條界線是能滲透的。
14:59
As we live生活 longer and longer,
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隨著我們越活越久,
15:01
surviving倖存 illnesses疾病 and injuries受傷
that would have killed殺害 our grandparents祖父母,
263
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3857
從可能會讓我們祖父母,甚至父母
致命的疾病和傷害中存活下來,
15:05
even our parents父母,
264
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1325
15:07
the vast廣大 majority多數 of us will travel旅行
back and forth向前 between之間 these realms境界,
265
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我們大部分人都會
在這兩邊之間來來回回,
15:11
spending開支 much of our lives生活
somewhere某處 between之間 the two.
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我們一生大部分的時間,
都會待在兩邊之間。
15:16
These are the terms條款 of our existence存在.
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這些,就是我們存在的條件。
15:20
Now, I wish希望 I could say
that since以來 coming未來 home from my road trip,
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我也希望我能夠說,
從我的公路之旅回來之後,
15:24
I feel fully充分 healed癒合.
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我就完全被治癒了。
15:26
I don't.
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但並沒有。
15:28
But once一旦 I stopped停止 expecting期待 myself
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但一旦我不再期望我自己
15:31
to return返回 to the person
I'd been pre-diagnosis預診斷,
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回到我過去被診斷前的那個人,
15:35
once一旦 I learned學到了 to accept接受 my body身體
and its limitations限制,
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一旦我學會接受
我的身體和它的限制,
15:40
I actually其實 did start開始 to feel better.
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我就真的開始感覺比較好了。
15:43
And in the end結束, I think that's the trick:
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最終,我想這就是關鍵吧:
15:47
to stop seeing眼看 our health健康 as binary二進制,
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不要把我們的健康視為是二元的,
15:50
between之間 sick生病 and healthy健康,
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只分成生病跟健康,
15:52
well and unwell不適,
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好跟不好,
15:54
whole整個 and broken破碎;
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完整跟破碎;
15:55
to stop thinking思維 that there's some
beautiful美麗, perfect完善 state of wellness健康
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不要再認為有某種美麗、
完美的健康狀態
16:00
to strive努力 for;
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要努力去追求;
16:01
and to quit放棄 living活的 in a state
of constant不變 dissatisfaction不滿意
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不要再用一種沒達到這個目標
就不能滿足的狀態來過日子。
16:05
until直到 we reach達到 it.
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16:08
Every一切 single one of us
will have our life interrupted間斷,
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我們每一個人,都會遇到
人生被打斷的時候,
16:14
whether是否 it's by the rip安息 cord
of a diagnosis診斷
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不論是因為被診斷結果撕裂,
16:16
or some other kind of heartbreak心碎
or trauma外傷 that brings帶來 us to the floor地板.
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或某種心碎或創傷讓我們陷入谷底。
16:22
We need to find ways方法 to live生活
in the in-between在兩者之間 place地點,
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我們得要找到在
中間地帶生活的方法,
16:27
managing管理的 whatever隨你 body身體
and mind心神 we currently目前 have.
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盡量去應用我們現有的身和心,
不論它們的狀況如何。
16:32
Sometimes有時, all it takes is the ingenuity創造力
of a handmade手工製造 game遊戲 of Scrabble亂塗
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有時,需要的就只是
手製拼字遊戲的巧思,
16:39
or finding發現 that stripped-down剝離下來
kind of meaning含義 in the love of family家庭
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在家人的愛當中
16:43
and a night on the ballroom舞廳 dance舞蹈 floor地板,
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和在舞池地板上的夜晚,
16:46
or that radical激進, dangerous危險 hope希望
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或是那個激進、危險的希望
找到最根本的意義,
16:49
that I'm guessing揣測 will someday日後
lead a teenage青少年 girl女孩 terrified of bugs蟲子
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我想可能有一天,這樣的希望
會引領一名害怕蟲子的青少女
16:53
to go camping露營.
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去露營。
16:55
If you're able能夠 to do that,
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如果你能做到這些,
16:57
then you've taken採取 the real真實 hero's英雄的 journey旅程.
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那麼你就已經完成了
真正的英雄之旅。
17:01
You've achieved實現 what it means手段
to actually其實 be well,
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你已經達成了真正健康的意義,
17:06
which哪一個 is to say: alive, in the messiest最混亂,
richest首富, most whole整個 sense.
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也就是:在最混亂、最豐富、
最完整的意義上,活著。
17:13
Thank you, that's all I've got.
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謝謝!我要講的就是這些了。
17:14
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
17:17
Thank you.
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謝謝!
17:18
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Lilian Chiu
Reviewed by Melody Tang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Suleika Jaouad - Writer, teacher, activist
Writer Suleika Jaouad is changing the conversation about what it means to thrive in the wake of illness and life's unexpected interruptions.

Why you should listen

When Suleika Jaouad finally walked out of the hospital -- after countless rounds of chemo, a lifesaving clinical trial and a bone marrow transplant -- she was, according to the doctors, "cured." But as she would soon learn, a cure is not where the work of healing ends; it's where it begins. She set out on a 100-day, 15,000-mile road trip across the country to meet some of the people who had written to her during her time in the hospital. Her extraordinary journey resulted in her debut memoir, Between Two Kingdoms.

Jaouad is an Emmy-winning journalist, author, teacher and activist. Her career aspirations as a foreign correspondent were cut short when, at age 22, she was diagnosed with leukemia. She began writing the acclaimed New York Times column and video series "Life, Interrupted" from the front lines of her hospital bed and has since become a fierce advocate for those living with illness and other forms of adversity.

Jaouad served on Barack Obama's Presidential Cancer Panel, and her advocacy work, public speaking and reporting have brought her everywhere from the United Nations and Capitol Hill to a maximum security prison and a two-room schoolhouse in rural Montana.

More profile about the speaker
Suleika Jaouad | Speaker | TED.com