NPR 08-31:When Cancer Calls, Family Matters Most是家人给了我战胜死神的力

Peg¹ Steinberg was diagnosed not once — but twice — with cancer. Through the difficult times of bouncing in and out of good health, Peg and her son, Dan, recall the source of their strength: family unity².

Time again for StoryCorps, where friends and loved ones interview each other about their lives. Today a conversation between a mother and son. Dan Steinberg brought his mother Peg to StoryCorps to talk about how their family has made it through her multiple bouts⁴ with cancer.

When I was 36, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ten and a half years later it had reappeared in my skin, but I managed to come through it.

And since then you've had one more bout³ with cancer?

Yes, I have. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but I now feel pretty good and so far, knock wood, the cancer is not there. My family has been like a rock to me, from when you were even little, when you both came to the hospital when I first had my mastectomies. You crawled in bed with me and we watched movies on the television. But the most amazing time was after my surgery for my ovarian cancer. You and Molly both said, "We were young before and you wanted to protect us, but now we are here for you. We are adults, and we wanna know what you are feeling so we can help you get through it. And that was very powerful.

The way that you are able to carry, carry...the way that you are able to carry yourself throughout the entire thing. You're still, you're still my mother, Molly's mother. And that hasn’t changed. I guess what has been hard for me is just facing up to the fact that, at some point, I know I'm gonna have to say goodbye to you. And I hope that’s not soon. But I guess part of me thinks it could be anytime.

If there’s anything I could change, in terms of my illness, it would be that I could just give you positive things in life, so that you wouldn't have had to deal with the fear of losing your mother.

The idea that you haven't been able to give us positive things is, I mean, somewhat absurd. I love you and you’ve always been a role model of how I should attack life, how I should live life.

You know what, honey, I’m very happy that you feel that way and I can’t imagine having been through any of this without all of you.

That's Peg Steinberg with her son Dan at StoryCorps in Martha's Vineyard. This interview will be archived along with all the others at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. You can subscribe⁵ to the StoryCorps at npr.org.

1 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

2 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

3 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

4 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 subscribe   

vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助

参考例句：

• I heartily subscribe to that sentiment.我十分赞同那个观点。
• The magazine is trying to get more readers to subscribe.该杂志正大力发展新订户。