佚名/Anonymous
Even if I did not have a dream, I always had a plan. In college, I learned to be responsible and organized and to set goals that I could attain. Then everything changed. I will never forget my final week from college last year. Days away from graduation and miles away from home, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I left the hospital alone, in devastation. Unsure of what my future would hold, I shed countless tears. Life suddenly became an unforeseeable thing, and I could not know what to do. Although close friends eased the pain, I could not hide from them my fear of facing death. Somehow, I managed to complete the exams in spite of my jangled nerves.
I began to feel different from everyone else, since my friends were graduating, celebrating, and eager to move on to new chapters in their lives. But I could not join them and celebrate with them. I especially found it interesting to see how others around me dealt with my news. Some acted suddenly distant for lack of words, some dramatized the whole thing, and some acted perfectly normal, which felt the most comfortable for me.
Within days, I had packed up all of my college belongings and headed home with my family ready to face this unexpected hurdle. I immediately turned to my best friend from high school. She had gone through cancer in our senior year, and because of watching her courageously overcome so many obstacles four years before, I knew she could give me the fuel I needed for my own battle.
As my surgery date to remove the tumor got closer, I was experiencing intense physical pain. Part of me wanted it over with and the other part of me was coming unglued. The wall of strength I had built was crumbling. I was so angry that I had to go through this when all those around me were going on with their lives. I spent a lot of time asking, why me?
But something wonderful started happening in the midst of all this. I began to see all the beauty around me in a wholly new way. The smallest things that I neglected before started to catch my eyes. I noticed how colorful and serene a sunset could be when you took time to enjoy it. Blades of grass cascading along hillsides looked a brighter shade of green. A small child's laughter became an instant remedy for a bad day.
Miraculously, I woke up from surgery grateful to be alive and well. Words cannot describe the happiness I felt at that special moment—to be given a second chance. My recovery was a long process as I learned to walk again and so simple tasks. I remember when I went home and studied my bald head for the first time. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did! Ironically, a month before I knew I had a tumor, I cut my long hair short and donated it to the American Cancer Society. I discovered there is a huge difference between short and bald!
Life can sure throw a good curve ball when you least expect it. Yet I have had this new start, and I am enjoying every minute of it. I used to hear people say you should dream the unimaginable, and I always preferred to plan instead. Now, dreaming big and following my heart's desire without knowing how it will end up is the only thing I have time to do.
即使在我一个梦想都没有的时候，我一直都有计划。读大学期间，我学会了做人要有责任感，做事要讲究条理，要树立切实可行的目标。然而，所有的事情都发生了变化。去年，大学毕业的前一周是我终生难忘的日子。大学毕业的前几天，我在离家很远的地方被诊断患有脑瘤。我陷入了绝望之中，独自从医院里跑了出来，泪水止不住地掉下来，我不知道将来的生活会是什么样子。生活在瞬间变得无法预测，我感到茫然。尽管在好友的安慰下痛苦缓解了许多，我却无法在他们面前掩饰自己对死亡的恐惧。尽管烦乱至极，我还是完成了考试。
我开始变得与其他人不同。我的朋友们正忙着毕业、庆祝，急切地掀开新的生活篇章，我却无法加入他们，不能与他们一起庆祝。我发现观察身边的人对我生病消息的反应非常有趣：一些人因为不知道跟我说些什么而远离我；一些人的反应富于戏剧性；还有一些人的反应很合情合理，我面对这些人时备感舒服。
几天之内，我收拾好了学校里的所有行李，回家与家人一起面对这突如其来的不幸。到家后，我马上去找高中时最好的朋友——高三那年她患了癌症。我知道，她能够带给我与疾病作战的勇气，因为四年前，我亲眼目睹她勇敢地克服了诸多磨难。
在切除肿瘤手术的日子来临的那段时间，剧烈的病痛折磨着我。我一边想随它去，一边又感到极度烦乱，建立起来的精神支柱濒临崩溃的边缘。身边的其他人都健健康康地活着，我却要遭受病痛的折磨，这让我变得非常愤怒。我经常问自己：为什么会是我？
就在这个时候，一些令人惊奇的事情发生了，我开始以全新的眼光看待周围所有美好的事物。我开始关注那些极其微小的事情，曾经，我忽略了它们的存在。我注意到，当花一点儿时间去享受落日时，你就会发现那是多么缤纷和平静；从山坡上生长的小草飘落下来的绿色叶片，看起来是那么鲜亮；只要听听小孩子的笑声，我在一天中所受到的煎熬马上就会消失得无影无踪。
我从手术中醒来后，感激自己健康地活了下来，这真是不可思议。我获得了第二次生命，那一刻我的心中充满了难以言表的幸福感。我要重新学习走路，做一些简单的事情，所以身体完全恢复是一个很长的过程。记得在回到家里之后，我第一次仔细地看自己光秃秃的脑袋，我本不该如此，但我的确感到惊讶。具有讽刺意味的是，在我得知自己患有脑瘤这件事情的一个月之前，我把头发剪短，并将长头发捐赠给了美国癌症学会。我发现，短发和没有头发简直有着天壤之别！
生活会在你意想不到的时候捉弄你一下，这是必然的。既然我有了这个新的开始，我就要珍惜生命的每一分钟。以前，我常常听别人说，你不要梦想那些不可能的事情，我也总是喜欢按部就班。现在，心怀梦想，跟着内心的渴望向前走，而不必考虑结果如何，成了我剩余的时间要做的唯一的事。
ease [i:z] v.解除或减轻（痛苦、忧虑、负担等）
They may have a way to ease your pain.
他们可能有一个方法减轻你的痛苦。
jangle ['d???ɡl] v.使烦躁；使不安；烦扰
The baby's crying jangled her nerves.
婴儿的哭声让她十分心烦。
crumble ['kr?mbl] v.崩溃；破碎；粉碎
Tom is crumbling and without ambition.
汤姆的生活正处于崩溃的边缘，他无法找到生活的目标。
bald [b?:ld] adj.秃顶的；光秃的
The little girl got leucocythemia. She is bald cause of side-effects of chemotherapy.
这个小女孩得了白血病，她因为化疗的副作用掉光了头发。
我开始变得与其他人不同。我的朋友们正忙着毕业、庆祝，急切地掀开新的生活篇章，我却无法加入他们，不能与他们一起庆祝。
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几天之内，我收拾好了学校里的所有行李，回家与家人一起面对这突如其来的不幸。
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建立起来的精神支柱濒临崩溃的边缘。
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I immediately turned to my best friend from high school.
turn to：求助于
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Part of me wanted it over with and the other part of me was coming unglued.
come unglued：心情急躁
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