美国国家公共电台 NPR--After her friend's death, their families were combined into one

After her friend's death, their families were combined into one

Transcript¹

In this week's StoryCorps, a single mother of five recalls what happened when she agreed to take care of three more children after her friend died of cancer.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Time now for StoryCorps. In 2016, Jennifer Hidrogo, a single mother of five, moved into a new apartment building. Her new neighbor, Glendon Booth known as Junior, was raising three young kids. The two families spent a lot of time together. About a year later, Junior was diagnosed² with pancreatic cancer, which is when Jen made a promise.

JENNIFER HIDROGO: He was scared about what would happen to the kids if he died. And I remember telling him, look; I know that this would be a big responsibility, but I would be willing to take them if something happened to you.

MARTIN: Junior died soon after that. At StoryCorps, Jen sat down with her 16-year-old daughter Charlee and Junior's 12-year-old daughter LilyRose to talk about what happened next.

CHARLEE: Were you scared to move in with us?

LILYROSE: I would admit I was. I thought my whole life was ruined. I was like, I can't live without my dad. There's no way I can live with my neighbor, even though we were close. I'm like, this is still a stranger to me. But my fear was, when my dad died, that I was going to probably end up in foster³ care, and I didn't want that to happen to me. And I knew that my whole life was going to change.

CHARLEE: Yeah. It made me have to grow up faster because, all of a sudden, I have little siblings⁴, and I had to step up. It just changed so much. And, like, I had to share my mom with three other kids.

LILYROSE: And we got raised differently. We didn't have the same rules.

HIDROGO: That's been tough for me. But, I mean, we're doing it, right?

CHARLEE: Yeah.

LILYROSE: Yeah.

CHARLEE: You know, we fight sometimes because we're siblings. When I talk to y'all, I say mom. Like, it's not like I say, my mom. It's like we're all just a family. It's normal. When we had the adoption⁵ ceremony, I was happy 'cause it was official that you're my sister.

LILYROSE: I didn't have my dad there, and I felt like I was moving on. But honestly, I'm not because I still think about him all the time. It was such a happy moment.

HIDROGO: Y'all became officially my babies that day. Y'all had already been that to me. But to have all of y'all there, all my eight kids (laughter), that was beautiful to me.

CHARLEE: I'm just very, very thankful for you in that you're my - you're, like, the backbone⁶ of everything.

LILYROSE: I kind of feel the same way.

HIDROGO: I'm thankful for that, for sure. It's been a hard road for all of us. But it is growing us in so many ways, you know? And y'all are the best parts of that.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MARTIN: Jen Hidrogo talking with Charlee and LilyRose for StoryCorps in Austin, Texas. Their interview is archived at the Library of Congress.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 diagnosed   

诊断( diagnose的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some foetal malformations cannot be diagnosed until late in pregnancy. 有些胎儿的畸形部位得等到妊娠后期才能诊断出来。
• He diagnosed the trouble that caused the engine to knock. 他找出了引擎咔咔响的毛病所在。

3 foster   

vt.收养，培养，促进；adj.收养的，收养孩子的

参考例句：

• Nowadays young couple sometimes foster.现今年轻夫妇有时领养别人的孩子。
• The captain did his best to foster a sense of unity among the new recruits.队长尽力培养新成员之间的团结精神。

4 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

5 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

6 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。