人生不設(shè)限·接受別人幫忙，自己也要加油

希望是個催化劑，能挪走一切看起來不能移動它的障礙。當你繼續(xù)使力、拒絕放棄，就創(chuàng)造了動能。“希望”會創(chuàng)造出你料想不到的機會，然后貴人向你靠近，大門打開，路障清除了。

Hope is a catalyst. It can even move obstacles that seem immovable. When you keep pushing, refusing to give up, you create momentum. Hope creates opportunities you never would have anticipated. Helpful people are drawn to you. Doors open. Paths are cleared.

請記?。盒袆訋砘貞?yīng)。當你打算放棄夢想時，告訴自己再多撐一天、一個星期、一個月，再多撐一年吧。你會發(fā)現(xiàn)，拒絕退場的結(jié)果令人驚訝。

Remember—action brings reaction. When you are tempted to abandon your dreams, push yourself to continue one more day, one more week, one more month, and one more year. You will be amazed at what happens when you refuse to quit.

到了該上小學(xué)的年紀，父母再次努力游說各方，讓我不被排除在一般教育之外。由于他們堅定不移的信念，我成為澳大利亞第一批進入主流學(xué)校就讀的身障學(xué)童之一。結(jié)果我在主流學(xué)校表現(xiàn)得很好，一份地方報紙報道了我的故事，標題是“融入主流，身障兒大放異彩”，還附上一張妹妹蜜雪兒跟我一起坐在輪椅上的大照片。這篇報道引起了全國的關(guān)注，有政府官員來訪，我還收到卡片、信件、禮物，以及來自全國各地的邀請。

When it came time for me to begin elementary school, my parents again lobbied for me to have a typical education. As a result of their unyielding conviction, I became one of the first disabled children in Australia to "mainstream" into the regular school system. I did so well in the mainstream school that the local newspaper ran a story with the headline "Integration lets disabled boy blossom." The story, accompanied by a big photograph of my sister Michelle riding with me in my wheelchair, set off a national media blitz that brought visits from government officials, cards, letters, gifts, and invitations from across the country.

媒體報道之后涌進來的捐款也在經(jīng)濟上幫助了我的父母，他們要為我換裝義肢。父母從我一歲半開始，就嘗試讓我適應(yīng)人工四肢，我的義肢初體驗是一只不怎么好用的手臂，這只用滑輪和杠桿操作的機械手臂差不多有我整個人的兩倍重。

The donations that flowed in after that newspaper story helped fund my parents' efforts to equip me with replacement limbs. They'd been trying to fit me with artificial limbs since I was eighteen months old. My first prosthesis was just one arm, which didn't work well for me. The arm and hand were operated mechanically with pulleys and levers, and it weighed about twice as much as all the rest of me!

裝上這個新玩意兒，光是保持平衡就困難重重，我過了好一陣子才搞定。之前我已經(jīng)可以很熟練地用小左腳、下巴或牙齒抓東西，這只新加入的手臂似乎只是讓我平常做的事變得更困難。無法好好利用它，父母起先也很失望，但我愈來愈有信心，覺得靠自己也能做得很好。我鼓勵父母往前看，并感謝他們。

Just keeping my balance with this contraption on was a challenge. I managed to operate it after a while. I'd already become adept at grabbing objects with my little foot, my chin, or my teeth, so the bionic arm seemed only to make daily chores more diffi cult. My parents were disappointed at first, but my confidence grew because I felt good about doing so well on my own. I encouraged them and thanked them and looked ahead.

堅忍不拔是一種力量。我們第一個人工手臂實驗失敗了，但我仍相信一切會有最好的結(jié)果。我的樂觀和高昂的士氣感動了當?shù)氐莫{子會[7]，他們?yōu)槲夷技硕嗳f美元，以支付醫(yī)療和一部新輪椅的費用。這些募捐來的錢也讓我們可以到加拿大多倫多，去試用由一家兒童醫(yī)院設(shè)計出來的電子手臂。然而，最后連醫(yī)學(xué)專家也認為，我不用義肢，而是靠自己，做事效率可能還高一些。

There is power in perseverance. Our first experiment with an artificial limb failed, but I continued to believe my life would work out for the best. My optimism and high spirits inspired our community Lions Club, an international service organization, to raise more than $200,000 for my medical bills and a new wheelchair. Some of those funds also helped us travel to Toronto, Canada, to try a more advanced set of electronic arms developed by a children's clinic. In the end, however, even the medical experts decided that I managed to accomplish most tasks more efficiently on my own without the aid of prosthetics.

我很高興有科學(xué)家和發(fā)明家熱衷研究，希望某天可以給我四肢，不過我更加堅定心意要盡我所能，而不是干等別人發(fā)現(xiàn)或發(fā)明什么來改善我的生活——我必須自己尋找答案。直到今天，我還是很歡迎別人幫我忙，例如替我開門，好讓我的輪椅通過，或是拿起杯子讓我喝一口水，但我們必須為自己的幸福與成功負責(zé)。你的朋友和家人或許會在你有需要時伸出援手，請對此心懷感激，歡迎他們對你的付出，但你自己也要繼續(xù)加油。你愈是努力，就能創(chuàng)造愈多的機會。

I was excited that there were scientists and inventors intent on providing me with limbs someday. But I became all the more determined to do whatever I could without waiting for someone else to find something that would improve my life—I had to find my own answers. Even today I welcome anyone who helps me, whether it is opening a door for my wheelchair or giving me a drink from a glass of water. We need to take responsibility for our own happiness and success. Your friends and family may reach out to you in times of need. Be grateful for that. Welcome their efforts, but keep pushing on your own too. The more effort you put into it, the more opportunities you create.

有時候，你可能覺得自己的目標就快要實現(xiàn)了，結(jié)果卻功敗垂成，但這不是你喊停的理由。只有拒絕再試一次的人才會被打敗。我依然相信自己總有一天可以像一般人一樣走路，像一般人一樣舉起或握住東西。這些事如果真的發(fā)生了，無論是出于上帝的親手作為，或是他通過地上的代理人所做的，都會是個奇跡。機械四肢的科技日新月異，說不定哪天我真的可以穿戴上便利的義肢，不過我目前的樣子也讓我很滿意了。

Sometimes you may feel like you are just about to realize your goal only to fall short. That is no reason to quit. Defeat happens only to those who refuse to try again. I still believe that one day I will be able to walk and lift and hold utensils like a regular person. It will be a miracle when that happens, whether God does it on His own or through his agents on earth. The technology for robotic limbs is advancing rapidly. Someday I may be able to wear prosthetic arms and legs that work efficiently, but for now I'm happy to be just as I am.

事實上，那些我們認為是阻礙的挑戰(zhàn)，常常讓我們變得更強壯。你要接受這樣的可能性：今天的障礙或許是明天的優(yōu)勢。我已經(jīng)把自己沒有四肢這件事當作一項有利條件，因為男女老少就算跟我語言不通，光是看到我，也知道我這輩子肯定沒少過難關(guān)。他們都明白，我的人生體悟得來可不容易。

Often the very challenges that we think are holding us back are, in fact, making us stronger. You should be open to the possibility that today's handicap might be tomorrow's advantage. I've come to see my lack of limbs as an asset. Men, women, and children who can't speak my language only have to see me to know that I have overcome many challenges. My lessons, they know, did not come easily.