I believe that I always have a choice. No matter what I'm doing. No matter where I am. No matter what is happening to me. I always have a choice.
我相信我总能选择。无论我在做什么,无论我在哪里,无论我发生了什么事情。我总能选择。
Today I am sitting at my computer, speaking these words through a microphone. Although I have spent my life typing on a keyboard, I can no longer use my hands. Every day I sit at my computer speaking words instead of typing. In 2003, I was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. Over time, this disease will weaken and finally destroy every significant muscle in my body. Ultimately, I will be unable to move, to speak, and finally, to breathe. Already, I am largely dependent upon others. So every day I review my choices.
今天我坐在我的电脑桌边,通过麦克风说了这些话。尽管一直以来我都是用键盘打字,但现在我无法再使用我的手了。现在每天我坐在电脑旁边讲话而不是打字。2003年我被症断患有肌萎缩性侧索硬化症,随着病情的进一步发展,这个病会削弱并破坏我身上的每一块肌肉组织。最终,我将无法行动,说话直至无法呼吸。现在,我的大部分行动都要依靠别人的帮助,因此每天我都在审视我的选择。
Living with ALS seems a bit like going into the witness protection program. Everything I have ever known about myself, how I look, how I act, how I interact with the world, is rapidly and radically changing. And yet, with each change, I still have choice. When I could no longer type with my hands, I knew I could give up writing entirely or go through the arduous process of learning how to use voice recognition software. I'm not a young woman. This took real work. Interestingly, I write more now than ever before.
我被症断患有肌萎缩性侧索硬化症之后的生活,就像受保护的证人一样。我对我自己的一切都很了解,我的样貌,我的行动,我与这个世界的一切互动都发生了巨大的变化,但是,对于这所有的变化,我都有自己的选择权。当我无法再次使用我的双手打字时,我就知道我只能完全放弃手写,要经历艰难的过程去学习如何使用声音辨别软件。我不再是一个年轻的女士了,这对我来说真的要花一番工夫来学习。但有趣的是,现在我比以前写更多的文章了。