Every night in my private room, as soon as I knew I wouldn’t be interrupted or discovered, I would maneuver myself from the bed to the floor, holding on to the bed rail for dear life, and slowly putting my weight on my feet. After several weeks of these ever so difficult efforts, my strength and confidence continued to build. So came the ultimate challenge: alternating and moving my feet one inch at a time. I had dreams of striding briskly down the halls at school, playing dodge ball at recess, and driving again—grandiose dreams to be sure, but I knew one thing for certain: there would come a day when the wheelchair would be gone and I would walk.
It came the time to share my accomplishments with the person most important to me. One night, before my son arrived for his regular visit, I pulled myself into the chair and stationed the walker in front of me. When I heard him greet the nurses at the station, I dragged myself up. As he opened the door, I took a few small steps. Shocked, he could only watch as I turned and started back to bed. All of the pain, the fear, and the struggle faded as I heard the words I had longed to hear, “Mommy, you can walk!”
I am now able to walk alone, sometimes using a cane. I am able to take public transportation to shop and visit friends. My life has been blessed with many milestones and accomplishments of which I am proud. But none has ever brought me the satisfaction and joy offered by those four little words spoken by my son.
“你再也不能走路了，你得坐轮椅。”医生残酷的“判决”如五雷轰顶，几乎将我击晕。我毫无心理准备，那一刻，一种从未有过的绝望感袭上心头。
那场灾难性的车祸使我不省人事，生命垂危。醒来时，我发现两条腿都打着石膏，为了帮助髋骨和骨盆愈合，我的左腿被牵引起来。虽然身上还有其他更严重的伤，但最令我担心的还是这两条腿。我是一位特种需求的教师，且天生好动，我无法想象自己被困在轮椅上的情形，更别说是残疾了。
我躺在床上不能动弹，只能默默祈祷。我就想，怎样让我10岁的儿子对他妈妈的康复怀有希望呢？每次他来看我，都很高兴，但我仍能从他眼中读到恐惧。他一定知道妈妈即将成为一个彻底的残疾人，这种打击对他来说太沉重了。他需要希望的曙光：妈妈不会永远待在轮椅上。
我觉得这是有望实现的，我以切身经历告诉人们怎样去面对已降临的灾难。但是，这并不是一种无私的行为。除了治疗身体的创伤外，我还需把爱尔兰人的顽强注入体内——正是这种特质使我能够应对生活中最严峻的挑战。
不久，我就对身体上的不灵活失去了耐性，甚至对治疗专家给我定下的治疗速度也失去了信心。我下