环球英语 — 289：Sharing Cancer Stories

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for Spotlight¹, I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Rebekah Schipper. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
When Vishal Joshi was 14 years old he started to have problems breathing. Doctors thought that he had asthma², a problem with the lungs. But Vishal became worse. Doctors started to think that Vishal might have tuberculosis³, a serious lung disease⁴. Doctors put Vishal in a room alone. They thought other people could also become sick. But Vishal did not improve. Finally the doctors discovered the real problem. The doctors told Vishal that he had cancer. Vishal was not sure what this meant for his life.
Voice 3
“I was pretty surprised when I found out I had cancer. You do not know what is going on. Your whole life stops. I missed out on a lot of my growing up. I spent a lot of time in a hospital and missed a lot of school.”
Voice 2
Vishal’s story is similar to many other young people who have cancer. Today, Vishal no longer has cancer. He is sharing his story with other young people.
Voice 1
Doctors told Vishal that he had Hodgkins Lymphoma. Hodgkins Lymphoma affects a person’s lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is part of the immune⁵ system. It helps a person to fight sickness. The lymphatic system is made up of two main parts: vessels⁶ and nodes. The vessels are tubes that spread through a person’s body. The nodes are like little balls connected to the vessels. The nodes produce white blood cells, and collect harmful substances.
Voice 2
Vishal had lymphomas, cancers of the lypmhatic system, in his neck and near his heart. Doctors said that Vishal had a fifty percent chance of surviving the cancer. He had to have chemotherapy. These treatments would help fight the cancer in his body. But they would also make him feel sick.
Voice 1
The treatment made Vishal’s body hurt. Sometimes he lost feeling in his arms and legs. Other times it would make his stomach feel sick. The chemotherapy treatment would sometimes last for eighteen hours. But Vishal’s experience with cancer was more than just a physical battle. He also faced emotional⁷ issues.
Voice 3
“I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up… But that all had to change. I stopped growing when I started the treatment. Because of my health problems, I could not become a pilot.”
Voice 2
Vishal understood that the cancer treatment would make him feel sick. He understood what was happening to his body. But he did not know how it would make him feel emotionally⁹. He was afraid.
Voice 3
“It is a really difficult place to be. It would have helped me to read about what other people experienced¹⁰, if their experience had been positive. On television you hear all the sad stories about people dying¹¹. That does not help.”
Voice 1
Vishal wanted support. He needed to hear helpful stories about other young people who fought cancer. He felt that other young people’s stories could help him prepare for his future. But Vishal found little information for people his age.
Voice 2
Today Vishal no longer has cancer. But when he was going through treatment, he felt alone. He did not want other people his age to feel the same way. So Vishal decided¹² to share his cancer story on a new website. The website, The Spoon Room, helps young people learn about health from people their own age.
Voice 2
Doctor Ann McPherson, helped create the Spoon Room website. she talked about how the website helps young people.
Voice 4
“Young people talk openly of their fears, their worries, and they talk about how health services have helped them. These are teenagers first and people who have a sickness second.”
Voice 2
Doctor McPherson wanted to help create a place where young people could hear about cancer and other health problems from people of the same age. The website presents the experiences of 34 young people. Visitors to the website can read, listen to, or watch the young men’s and women’s stories.
Voice 1
The Spoon Room website shows young people talking about cancer. This is where Vishal shared his story. The creators of the website hope to collect more people’s stories. They hope to collect young people’s thoughts on many diseases¹³. The website shares important thoughts that a medical book cannot express. The young people share their emotions. They share their own experiences.
Voice 2
The website also presents information about cancer. It tells what words mean, and answers questions that young people often ask. Visitors to the website can also find information about cancer support groups. They can find other groups of people who have experienced cancer.
Voice 1
The creators of the Spoon Room website understand that it is important to know about cancer. But they also understand that cancer effects more than people’s bodies. They encourage people with cancer to tell their stories, and talk with other people about their experiences.
Voice 2
Have you ever had a serious disease like cancer? Do you know someone else who has? You do not need a website or a support group to share your story. Talking to friends and family about problems like cancer is an easy way to share experiences. Churches are also good places to talk to people. If you have had a disease like cancer, tell other people what it is like. If you know someone with cancer, do not be afraid to talk to them about it. They may be looking for someone to talk to.
Voice 1
One of the young people on the Spoon Room website Talked about his friends. His friends had difficulty talking to him after he had cancer. They were afraid of how he would react. But the young man who had cancer said he wanted to talk about it. He wanted to share his cancer story with them. He does not think that people should be afraid to talk about cancer. In fact,he thinks it is important to talk about it with friends.
Voice 2
Philip Pullman writes books for children. He thinks that medicine and personal stories are both important. He says that medicine can help our physical bodies, but the stories of others help people with cancer as they experience cancer.
Voice 5
“Nature and medical science together can do a great deal to help our bodies and minds heal⁸ themselves. But hearing the experiences of other people who have been through the same trouble gives us nourishment¹⁴. It keeps us going in the mean time.”
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

3 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

4 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

5 immune   

adj.免疫的，有免疫力的，不受影响的，免除的

参考例句：

• I am immune from the disease,for I had it once.我对这病有免疫力，因为我已得过一次了。
• Be immune from corruption.拒腐蚀，永不沾。

6 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

8 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

9 emotionally   

adv.感情上，情绪上，冲动地

参考例句：

• a special school for emotionally disturbed children 为精神异常儿童开办的特殊学校
• A wide range of emotionally stressful events may trigger a relapse. 多种令人情绪紧张的事情都可能引起旧病复发。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

11 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

14 nourishment   

n.食物，营养品；营养情况

参考例句：

• Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
• He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。