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远行的心 译
I grew up living across the street from my grandparents and my aunt, so we saw each other almost every day. It wasn’t until we all moved in together, though, that I really began to see how important each of them was to shaping the way I’ve grown up. Friends of mine complain about their “crazy relatives” and how they could never live with them the way our family has lived together for over ten years. But I’ve definitely had my horizons broadened. That extra layers of family has combined the experiences and values of different generations, not only providing enrichment for all of us but also support during the most chaotic of times.
Nearly twenty years ago, when my aunt, Holly, was 15 years old, she was diagnosed with 1)multiple sclerosis, a disease that attacks the central nervous system. You wouldn’t have even known it to look at her. By the time she entered college, everyone in my family had nearly forgotten about her disease since she was constantly 2)on the go. What’s scary, though, is that it’s not clear what causes MS or when its symptoms will strike. I think that’s why it hit all of us so hard.
When it first struck Holly, she had just finished her political science degree and held a full-time job. Her legs had weakened, and she joked that she felt like she was three years old again, relearning the whole process of walking. Living in our 3)extended family home (with my parents, sister, grandpa-rents, aunt and great-uncle), she had plenty of support from all sides. We kept our fingers crossed that this would be the worst of it, and that with regular exercise to strengthen her legs, she would return to normal. But soon, she lost both her job and her long-time boyfriend, who couldn’t deal with her MS.
The stress began to 4)take its toll, not only on Holly but also on all of our emotions. The once
5)happy-go-lucky girl had become moody and
6)reclusive, too embarrassed to go out to public restaurants because her hands shook so much when she held anything. Out of frustration, she blamed my grandparents (though researchers have only speculated that heredity may be one of the causes of MS). She even put her sister—my mom—on a guilt trip for having been fortunate enough to be married and have two healthy children.
It’s a completely helpless feeling to watch a healthy friend or relative take a turn for the worse, especially when it’s someone you’ve virtually idolized as a little girl. But for me, living with such a large part of my immediate family strengthened bonds that could have easily 7)frayed under such emotional pressure. Keeping this close connection, we have all persevered through Holly’s illness. My grandfather could have easily gone golfing every week, as he did when he first retired. Instead, he stays and works around the house, to help Holly if she needs anything. My grandmother, almost 70, continues to work to help pay medical bills. My parents remain constantly understanding even through my aunt’s worst mood swings. Even my sister and I are there for simple, but essential, 8)comic relief. The hardest part is the feeling that Holly is unable to appreciate anything we try to do for her.
Still, 9)to her credit, Holly hasn’t just sat back and watched us. Since the earliest days of her diagnosis, she has always participated in the annual 10)MS Walkathon, and it wasn’t until this year’s walkathon that I really began to see how grateful she truly is for all of our efforts. I hadn’t participated in the walk for several years, mainly because it seemed like such a 11)futile effort. What would getting up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning really do to help? But at the very last minute, frozen by the wind, I joined the rest of my family. When the walk was over, I expected Holly to pass over me again for even simple gratitude. Instead, I experienced genuine thanks, as she enthusiastically introduced me and my sister to friends who had come along to support her. My grandmother reminded me afterwards how overjoyed Holly was to see that everyone had come out to join her, not only her
12)blood relatives but the “extended family” of friends she has met since she got sick. I
really began to see how just a little caring can mean more than a multitude of prescriptions.
As a recent college graduate, I’m now at the same point in my life as Holly was when the effects of her MS began. I know I can
not take anything for granted, especially my freedom of movement, something she only enjoyed for a brief part of her life. Through her, I also know being 13)afflicted with a disease doesn’t mean I can just give up. Even when the odds are against me, I have to keep going. But most importantly, though, I’ve learned through this whole experience with my family that, no matter what, I have a wonderful, even extraordinary, support group around me that will always catch me before I fall.
我小时候住的地方与外祖父母和姨妈的家对街相望，所以我们几乎每天都能见面。然而，直到我们所有人都搬到一起住，我才真正开始意识到他们每个人对于我的成长是多么重要。我的朋友们抱怨他们那些“古怪的亲戚”，还说绝对无法像我们家那样和他们在一起生活10年以上。但无疑，这样的生活开拓了我的视野。家庭里的其他几层亲属关系综合了不同时代的人生经历和价值观，这不仅丰富了我们所有人的生活，还在最混乱的时期里给予了我们支持。
大约在20年前，我姨妈霍莉15岁的时候，她被确诊患了多发性硬化症——一种会侵袭中枢神经系统的疾病。光从她表面看，你根本看不出她患有这种病。她进入大学后，因为她总是很忙碌，所以家里所有人几乎都忘了她的病。然而可怕的是，你根本不清楚多发性硬化症有哪些病因，相关症状又会在什么时候发作。我想那就是它后来让我们所有人如此痛苦的原因。
霍莉姨妈第一次发病时，她刚获得政治学学位，并从事着一份全职工作。她的腿变得很虚弱，她开玩笑说感觉自己又回到了3岁，重新学习走路的整个过程。在我们这个大家庭里生活（和我爸妈、妹妹、外祖父母、姨妈和姨姥爷一起），她获得了所有人众多的支持。我们祈求她现在的状态不会更糟，并祈求定期的练习能增强她腿部的力量，使她的生活恢复正常。但很快，她就失去了工作，多年的男朋友也由于不能忍受她的多发性硬化症，离她而去。
霍莉姨妈的病所带来的压力不仅对她自己，也对我们所有人的情感造成了伤害。那个曾经无忧无虑的女孩变得忧郁自闭。她感到很困窘，以致不敢到外面的餐馆吃饭，因为当她用手拿东西的时候，手总是抖得很厉害。因为很沮丧，她责怪我的外祖父母（尽管研究人员仅仅是猜测导致多发性硬化症的其中一个因素可能来自遗传）。她甚至让她的妹妹（我的妈妈）心生歉疚，因为她幸运地结了婚，养育着两个健康的孩子。
看着一个健康的朋友或者亲戚身体日渐衰弱，会让人感到十分无助，尤其当那个人是你还是小女孩时就很崇拜的偶像。但对于我来说，和如此多的至亲生活在一起能加固原本在如此沉重的情感压力下容易变脆弱的关系。在霍莉姨妈患病期间，我们所有人保持着这份亲密关系，并为了治好她的病而努力不懈。我外公本来能像刚退休时那样，每周轻轻松松地去打高尔夫球，但他选择留在家里帮忙做些事，只要霍莉姨妈需要什么，他都会随叫随到。年近70的外婆为了帮着支付霍莉姨妈治病的帐单，也继续工作着。我爸妈一直都很理解这一切，即使在我姨妈情绪最为反复无常的日子里也不例外。就连我妹妹和我也成了家里简单而必不可少的喜剧性调剂。大家心里最难受的是，霍莉姨妈似乎并没有因为我们尽力为她做的任何事而感激。
然而值得庆幸的是，霍莉姨妈并不是仅仅无动于衷地看着我们。自从她被诊断为多发性硬化症的初期起，她总是参加一年一度的多发性硬化症步行马拉松。直到今年的步行马拉松，我才真正开始感到，她实在很感激我们为她做的一切努力。我有好几年没和霍莉姨妈一起参加步行马拉松了，主要因为我觉得那样的努力很徒劳。星期天早上6点起床真的有助于康复吗？但就在最后一刻，被风冻僵的我也加入到其他家人的行列中。步行马拉松结束后，我以为霍莉姨妈会再一次漠视我，没有半点感激之情。然而这一次，我获得了一份真心的谢意。她热情地把我和我妹妹介绍给她那些也来支持她的朋友们。我祖母后来提醒我，霍莉姨妈看见每个人都出来加入到她的行列中是如此高兴，行列中不仅有她的亲属，还有她生病以后认识的朋友组成的大家庭。我真正开始了解，一份微小的关心远远胜过一大堆的药品。
作为一个新近毕业的大学生，我现在所处的人生阶段，正是当年霍莉姨妈多发性硬化症出现症状的时间。对于任何事，我知道我都不能把它看作理所当然，特别是对于我行走的自由——对于姨妈而言，那是只在生命中一段很短暂的时光中才享有的。从姨妈的经历里，我还明白了被疾病折磨并不意味着就可以放弃希望。即使命运和我作对，我也必须继续前行。然而最重要的是，在我和家人一起经历过这一切以后，我明白了，无论发生什么事，始终有很棒的，甚至可以说是非凡的一群人在我身边支持着我，他们总会在我跌倒以前就把我扶住。
注：“本文中所涉及到的图表、注解、公式等内容请以PDF格式阅读原文。”
I grew up living across the street from my grandparents and my aunt, so we saw each other almost every day. It wasn’t until we all moved in together, though, that I really began to see how important each of them was to shaping the way I’ve grown up. Friends of mine complain about their “crazy relatives” and how they could never live with them the way our family has lived together for over ten years. But I’ve definitely had my horizons broadened. That extra layers of family has combined the experiences and values of different generations, not only providing enrichment for all of us but also support during the most chaotic of times.
Nearly twenty years ago, when my aunt, Holly, was 15 years old, she was diagnosed with 1)multiple sclerosis, a disease that attacks the central nervous system. You wouldn’t have even known it to look at her. By the time she entered college, everyone in my family had nearly forgotten about her disease since she was constantly 2)on the go. What’s scary, though, is that it’s not clear what causes MS or when its symptoms will strike. I think that’s why it hit all of us so hard.
When it first struck Holly, she had just finished her political science degree and held a full-time job. Her legs had weakened, and she joked that she felt like she was three years old again, relearning the whole process of walking. Living in our 3)extended family home (with my parents, sister, grandpa-rents, aunt and great-uncle), she had plenty of support from all sides. We kept our fingers crossed that this would be the worst of it, and that with regular exercise to strengthen her legs, she would return to normal. But soon, she lost both her job and her long-time boyfriend, who couldn’t deal with her MS.
The stress began to 4)take its toll, not only on Holly but also on all of our emotions. The once
5)happy-go-lucky girl had become moody and
6)reclusive, too embarrassed to go out to public restaurants because her hands shook so much when she held anything. Out of frustration, she blamed my grandparents (though researchers have only speculated that heredity may be one of the causes of MS). She even put her sister—my mom—on a guilt trip for having been fortunate enough to be married and have two healthy children.
It’s a completely helpless feeling to watch a healthy friend or relative take a turn for the worse, especially when it’s someone you’ve virtually idolized as a little girl. But for me, living with such a large part of my immediate family strengthened bonds that could have easily 7)frayed under such emotional pressure. Keeping this close connection, we have all persevered through Holly’s illness. My grandfather could have easily gone golfing every week, as he did when he first retired. Instead, he stays and works around the house, to help Holly if she needs anything. My grandmother, almost 70, continues to work to help pay medical bills. My parents remain constantly understanding even through my aunt’s worst mood swings. Even my sister and I are there for simple, but essential, 8)comic relief. The hardest part is the feeling that Holly is unable to appreciate anything we try to do for her.
Still, 9)to her credit, Holly hasn’t just sat back and watched us. Since the earliest days of her diagnosis, she has always participated in the annual 10)MS Walkathon, and it wasn’t until this year’s walkathon that I really began to see how grateful she truly is for all of our efforts. I hadn’t participated in the walk for several years, mainly because it seemed like such a 11)futile effort. What would getting up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning really do to help? But at the very last minute, frozen by the wind, I joined the rest of my family. When the walk was over, I expected Holly to pass over me again for even simple gratitude. Instead, I experienced genuine thanks, as she enthusiastically introduced me and my sister to friends who had come along to support her. My grandmother reminded me afterwards how overjoyed Holly was to see that everyone had come out to join her, not only her
12)blood relatives but the “extended family” of friends she has met since she got sick. I
really began to see how just a little caring can mean more than a multitude of prescriptions.
As a recent college graduate, I’m now at the same point in my life as Holly was when the effects of her MS began. I know I can
not take anything for granted, especially my freedom of movement, something she only enjoyed for a brief part of her life. Through her, I also know being 13)afflicted with a disease doesn’t mean I can just give up. Even when the odds are against me, I have to keep going. But most importantly, though, I’ve learned through this whole experience with my family that, no matter what, I have a wonderful, even extraordinary, support group around me that will always catch me before I fall.
我小时候住的地方与外祖父母和姨妈的家对街相望，所以我们几乎每天都能见面。然而，直到我们所有人都搬到一起住，我才真正开始意识到他们每个人对于我的成长是多么重要。我的朋友们抱怨他们那些“古怪的亲戚”，还说绝对无法像我们家那样和他们在一起生活10年以上。但无疑，这样的生活开拓了我的视野。家庭里的其他几层亲属关系综合了不同时代的人生经历和价值观，这不仅丰富了我们所有人的生活，还在最混乱的时期里给予了我们支持。
大约在20年前，我姨妈霍莉15岁的时候，她被确诊患了多发性硬化症——一种会侵袭中枢神经系统的疾病。光从她表面看，你根本看不出她患有这种病。她进入大学后，因为她总是很忙碌，所以家里所有人几乎都忘了她的病。然而可怕的是，你根本不清楚多发性硬化症有哪些病因，相关症状又会在什么时候发作。我想那就是它后来让我们所有人如此痛苦的原因。
霍莉姨妈第一次发病时，她刚获得政治学学位，并从事着一份全职工作。她的腿变得很虚弱，她开玩笑说感觉自己又回到了3岁，重新学习走路的整个过程。在我们这个大家庭里生活（和我爸妈、妹妹、外祖父母、姨妈和姨姥爷一起），她获得了所有人众多的支持。我们祈求她现在的状态不会更糟，并祈求定期的练习能增强她腿部的力量，使她的生活恢复正常。但很快，她就失去了工作，多年的男朋友也由于不能忍受她的多发性硬化症，离她而去。
霍莉姨妈的病所带来的压力不仅对她自己，也对我们所有人的情感造成了伤害。那个曾经无忧无虑的女孩变得忧郁自闭。她感到很困窘，以致不敢到外面的餐馆吃饭，因为当她用手拿东西的时候，手总是抖得很厉害。因为很沮丧，她责怪我的外祖父母（尽管研究人员仅仅是猜测导致多发性硬化症的其中一个因素可能来自遗传）。她甚至让她的妹妹（我的妈妈）心生歉疚，因为她幸运地结了婚，养育着两个健康的孩子。
看着一个健康的朋友或者亲戚身体日渐衰弱，会让人感到十分无助，尤其当那个人是你还是小女孩时就很崇拜的偶像。但对于我来说，和如此多的至亲生活在一起能加固原本在如此沉重的情感压力下容易变脆弱的关系。在霍莉姨妈患病期间，我们所有人保持着这份亲密关系，并为了治好她的病而努力不懈。我外公本来能像刚退休时那样，每周轻轻松松地去打高尔夫球，但他选择留在家里帮忙做些事，只要霍莉姨妈需要什么，他都会随叫随到。年近70的外婆为了帮着支付霍莉姨妈治病的帐单，也继续工作着。我爸妈一直都很理解这一切，即使在我姨妈情绪最为反复无常的日子里也不例外。就连我妹妹和我也成了家里简单而必不可少的喜剧性调剂。大家心里最难受的是，霍莉姨妈似乎并没有因为我们尽力为她做的任何事而感激。
然而值得庆幸的是，霍莉姨妈并不是仅仅无动于衷地看着我们。自从她被诊断为多发性硬化症的初期起，她总是参加一年一度的多发性硬化症步行马拉松。直到今年的步行马拉松，我才真正开始感到，她实在很感激我们为她做的一切努力。我有好几年没和霍莉姨妈一起参加步行马拉松了，主要因为我觉得那样的努力很徒劳。星期天早上6点起床真的有助于康复吗？但就在最后一刻，被风冻僵的我也加入到其他家人的行列中。步行马拉松结束后，我以为霍莉姨妈会再一次漠视我，没有半点感激之情。然而这一次，我获得了一份真心的谢意。她热情地把我和我妹妹介绍给她那些也来支持她的朋友们。我祖母后来提醒我，霍莉姨妈看见每个人都出来加入到她的行列中是如此高兴，行列中不仅有她的亲属，还有她生病以后认识的朋友组成的大家庭。我真正开始了解，一份微小的关心远远胜过一大堆的药品。
作为一个新近毕业的大学生，我现在所处的人生阶段，正是当年霍莉姨妈多发性硬化症出现症状的时间。对于任何事，我知道我都不能把它看作理所当然，特别是对于我行走的自由——对于姨妈而言，那是只在生命中一段很短暂的时光中才享有的。从姨妈的经历里，我还明白了被疾病折磨并不意味着就可以放弃希望。即使命运和我作对，我也必须继续前行。然而最重要的是，在我和家人一起经历过这一切以后，我明白了，无论发生什么事，始终有很棒的，甚至可以说是非凡的一群人在我身边支持着我，他们总会在我跌倒以前就把我扶住。
注：“本文中所涉及到的图表、注解、公式等内容请以PDF格式阅读原文。”