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　　It was the summer of 1998 when Barrows,an executive for IBM,and his wife first learned that Tim had decided to become an org-an donor.
　　Bursting excitedly into their Raleigh home one afternoon,Tim waved the learner's permit he had just received,then handed the precious card to his dad.
　　John studied the photo of his son,looking like a young James Dean,cool smirk and all.It was only when he moved his thumb t-hat he spotted the small red heart in the lower-right-hand co-rner.He knew immediately what it meant.A former U.S.Army lieu-tenant and a highly decorated veteran of combat in Vietnam,Jo-hn also knew what a human body could look like after violent death or traumatic injury.For a long moment his gaze was rive-ted to the heart.Then he locked eyes with his boy.
　　"Have you given this a lot of thought?Is it what you really want to do?"
　　"Yes,Dad,it's something that I reslly want to do."
　　John Barrows hugged his son."I love you,"he told Tim,
　　Both John and Cheryl were deeply moved by the boy's courage and generosity of spirit.At the time,they chose not to dwell on the possibility that,some day,his pledge might need to be honored.
　　Then,barely three months later,the unthinkable happened.
　　On Halloween night 1998,as Tim rode in a Chevy Blazer driven by his 16-year-old friend Scott Miller,their vehicle was broa-dsided by a van speeding along at more than 70 m.p.h.The van's driver,25-year-old Oscar Melendez,had plopped himself behind the wheel with nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blo-od.
　　Both boys suffered severe injuries to their brains. Melendez,who had convictions for drunk driving,assault and fraud,suffe-red a hip injury.
　　Summoned to WakeMed hospital late that night,John and Cheryl Barrows were given the grim news:Their son Tim was not expect-ed to survive more than 15 hours.His friend,too,was dying.
　　The grief was unbearable.As both boys slipped away,words see-med futile,all John and Cheryl could do was hold each other t-ight.Numbly,they stood by while an elderly Catholic priest ga-ve Tim the last rites.
　　Finally,gathering their other three sons and their nephew,Sc-ott Pettingill,outside the ICU,John and Cheryl reminded them of Tim's desire to become an organ donor.They talked together,asked questions,tried to grasp what it now meant.But there wa-s never any real doubt:They would honor Tim's wish.
　　When the Barrows family walked into that Raleigh meeting roomearly last spring,Huey Lumley was not the only organ recipienton hand.Thanks to Carolina Donor Services,a local organ-procu-rement organization,many others had been located and invited.
　　Bobby Wester,43,a tall,goateed house-construction worker fromRocky Mount,N.C.,told of his desperate,two and a half years w-ait for a liver transplant.Infected with hepatitis C,yellow w-ith jaundice and taking more than 20 different pills a day,West-er was so sick that he could barely get out of bed.The cause of his illness,doctors believed,was infection from a small ta-ttoo that had been etched into his left arm 25 years earlier--a dare from his Army buddies.
　　When one of his blood vessels burst and he began spitting upblood,Wester figured his days were numbered.Then,during a six-hour operation at the Duke University Medical Center in Novem-ber 1998,Wester was given Tim's liver.
　　Now,mors than two years later,Wester was going at full throt-tle,even playing league softball and golf."Heck,we're going f-ishing for bass later today,"he told some of the others in the room,gesturing over to his teenage daughter.
　　Not all of the organ recipients were able to come to Raleigh.Virgal Neace,a 65-year-old former welding supervisor in Lomda-rd,Ill.,who had received one of Tim's kidneys,was crest-fallen that he hadn't learned about the gathering in time to make the travel arrangements.
　　In a phone conversation two days earlier,Neace spoke of batt-ling coronary and circulatory problems so severe that they ne-cessitated open-heart surgery and 70 blood transfusions.Growing steadily weaker,he was forced to stop working on Good Friday,1990."By the time I got Tim's kidney,"he told John Barrows,"Icouldn't even pull the starter on my lawn mower.The pain was just so bad."But now Neace was cutting his own grass again,bl-owing the snow--doing so many things that make him feel alive and usefuf."I just can't tell you what it's like to have my s-trength return,to feel like I'm thirty-five again."
　　After the introductions were completed,John and Cheryl asked all the organ recipients and their families to take seats.Th-e room fell quiet as the two began to speak.
　　John Barrows talked first about their emotional courtroom co-nfrontation in July 1999 with Oscar Melendez,the driver who had killed Tim and his friend.Melendez pleaded guilty to two coun-ts of second-degree murder,expecting leniency from the court in return.In stead,the judge sentenced him to thirty one and a half years to thirty-nine years in prison.
　　They talked about the 76,000 other people across the country who were still on waiting lists for organ transplants.And ho-w,because of the acute shortage of donors,only a third of tho-se desperately ill patients might ever realize their dream--while another third would die waiting.
　　But mostly John and Cheryl talked about Tim.The youngest and smallest of their four boys,Tim had been a rebel,a jokester.A kid who never bragged or boasted,and seemed to have a million best friends.
　　"Before today,I so wished that all of you could have known T-im,"John Barrows told everyone."Now you do."
　　"My son's death wasa tragedy,"Cheryl said."But the fact that he was able to help so many people makes us proud.We want you to go away from here today being happy.our son would have wan-ted you to be happy too."
　　While John and Cheryl spoke,Tim's learner's permit was passedaround the table.on the face of the card,everyone could see T-im's impish,smiling countenance.And,of course,the small red he-art that had so profoundly altered all their lives.
　　As the card moved from person to person,the room grew somber and still.Bobby Wester reached for a handkerchief and buried his face in his hands.When the card reached Tim's brother sha-un,he began to weep.Suddenly Wester rose from his seat,circled the table and dropped to his knees by Shaun's side.Then he w-rapped his arms around the boy's shouldeds and sobbed rihgt a-long with him.
　　In the end,Tim Barrows's"gift of life"proved to be a remarka-bly generous one.
　　Besides the donation of most of his major organs--his heart,one lung,liver and both kidneys--Tim's corneas were given to a42-year-old man in New Jersey and a 24-year-old woman in Ralei-gh.A total of 319 tissue grafts from his body were distributed nationwide,with at least 100 patients already having been recip-ients.Bone and tissue from these grafts were utilized in oper-ations on 19 orthopedic patients in six different states,and we-re prepared for dental surgeries in at least a dozen more sta-tes.
　　Behind these remarkable numbers were scores of individual li-ves,changed forever.And none were more dramatically helped th-an those who gathered in Raleigh to honor Tim's lifesaving be-quest.
　　It was Joshua Knight's dad,Brian,who summed it up best:
　　"There just aren't any words in the English language to expr-ess what we feel.The words thank you aren't enough.It's somet-hing bigger than thank you...way bigger.And every one of us f-eels it."
　　早在1998年的夏天，巴罗斯，这位IBM公司的高级职员和他的妻子就知道蒂姆决定成为器官捐献者。
　　一天下午，蒂姆激动地冲进罗利的家中，手里挥动着他刚刚收到的初学者许可证．然后把这张珍贵的卡片递给他的爸爸。
　　约翰仔细端详着儿子的相片，他看起来像个小詹姆斯·笛安，连同酷酷的傻笑。当他移开拇指时，才找到位于右下角的小小红心，他立刻就明白那意味着什么。约翰曾经当过美国陆军中尉，是一个得到过高级勋章的越南战场上的老兵，他当然也知道人的躯体在遭受凶死或外伤后会是什么样子。他的眼睛在这颗心上凝视了许久。后来他的眼睛就锁定在儿子身上。
　　“你有没有仔细想过？这确实是你真正想做的吗？”
　　“是的，爸爸，这确实是我想做的事。”
　　约翰·巴罗斯拥抱着儿子。“我爱你，”他对他说。
　　约翰和谢里尔被儿子的勇气和慷慨深深地感动了。那时他们不愿谈论他的诺言是否会有兑现的可能性。
　　后来，还没有过3个月，不可想象的事就发生了。
　　在1998年万圣节夜里，当蒂姆坐在他的16岁朋友思科特·米勒驾驶的雪佛莱车上时，他们的车被一辆时速超过70英里的卡车挤到了边上。卡车司机，25岁的奥斯卡·梅伦德斯是酒后驾驶，他血液里的酒精含量超过法定限制将近2倍。
　　2个男孩的脑部都受到了重创。梅伦德斯臀部受伤，他被判犯有酒后驾驶、侵犯人身和诈骗等罪行。
　　那天深夜，约翰和谢里尔被召唤到韦克迈德医院，他们听到了残酷的消息：他们的儿子预计活不了15个小时了。他的朋友，也命在旦夕。
　　他们承受着巨大的悲痛。当两个孩子悄然离去的时候，话语显得徒劳无益；约翰和谢里尔所能做的就是互相紧紧地拥在一起。他们麻木地站在一边，一位年长的天主教牧师给蒂姆施了最后一次礼。
　　最后，约翰和谢里尔把另外3个儿子和他们的侄子思科特·佩廷吉尔召集到特别医疗单位的外面，提醒他们蒂姆想成为器官捐献者的愿望。他们在一起讨论，问了些问题，试图理解这个愿望此刻意味着什么。但有一点是肯定的：他们会实现蒂姆的愿望的。
　　去年初春，当巴罗斯一家走进那间罗利会议室时，休伊·拉姆利并不是惟一到场的器官接受者。多亏了这家当地器官征购组织——卜罗来纳捐献机构，其他许多人也已被找到并受到邀请。
　　博比·韦斯特，43岁，一个来自于北卡罗来纳州落基山城的高个子、长着山羊胡须的建筑工人，向人们诉说他绝望的等待了2年半的肝脏移植。他患有C型肝炎，黄疸病使得他面色发黄，一天要吃20多颗不同的药片。韦斯特病得厉害，几乎连床都下不了。医生们认为，他的病是被他25年前刻入左臂的文身感染所至，他是受了战友的挑衅后刺的文身。
　　一根血管爆裂后，韦斯特开始吐血，他猜想他的日子不多了。可后来，1998年11月，在杜克大学医疗中心做的一次长达6小时的手术中，他换上了蒂姆的肝脏。
　　现在，2年多过去了，韦斯特快速恢复，甚至能打软式垒球和高尔夫。“嘿，我们打算晚些时候去钓鲈鱼，”他对房间里的其他人说，一边对十几岁的女儿打手势示意。
　　并不是所有的器官接受者都来到了罗利。维加尔·尼斯，65岁，以前是伊利诺州伦巴底的焊接技术监督员，他接受了蒂姆的另一个肾。他对于自己未能及时知道这次聚会来安排旅行而沮丧万分。
　　在2天前的一次电话中，尼斯说，与冠心病和循环系统疾病做斗争是多么的艰巨，他需要做体外循环心脏手术，并输了70次血。他越来越虚弱，不得不在1990年的受难节那天停止工作。“在我得到蒂姆的肾的时候，”他对约翰·巴罗斯说道，“我甚至连割草机的起动器都拉不上。疼得太厉害了。”但现在，尼斯又开始修理草地，用除雪机吹雪……做了这么多的事，他感到自己是个有活力，有用的人。“我简直无法用语言表达找回力量后的那种感觉，觉得自己又回到了35岁。
　　介绍结束后，约翰和谢里尔让所有的器官接受者和他们的家人坐下。当2人开始说话时，房间静了下来。
　　约翰·巴罗斯首先说到了他们在1999年7月与奥斯卡·梅伦德斯在法庭上的令人伤感的会面。梅伦德斯就是撞死了蒂姆和他的伙伴的司机。梅伦德斯对于2项二级谋杀罪名表示服判，希望去法庭给予宽大处理。但是，法官还是判了他31年零6个月至39年的监禁。
　　他们谈到了全国其他76,000名仍在等候器官移植的患者。谈到了为何只有三分之一病得非常厉害的患者可能会圆了他们的梦，而另三分之一的人将在等候中死去，因为器官捐献者奇缺。
　　但约翰和谢里尔谈得最多的还是蒂姆。蒂姆是他们4个儿子中最年幼，也是长得最小的儿子，他生前是个判逆者，也是个好逗乐的人。蒂姆这孩子从不胡吹乱侃，他似乎有成千上万的好朋友。
　　“今天以前，我是多么希望你们都知道蒂姆，”约翰·巴罗斯对大家说道，“现在，你们都认识了他。”
　　“儿子的死是个悲剧，”谢里尔说道。“但是，他帮助了这么多的人，这让我们感到骄傲。我们希望你们今天快乐地离开这儿。我们的儿子也希望你们快乐。”
　　在约翰和谢里尔说话的时候，他们传阅着蒂姆的初学者许可证。人们在卡片的正面上看到的是蒂姆顽皮的笑脸。当然，还有那颗如此深刻地改变了他们命运的小小红心。
　　当卡片从一个人传到另一个人时，房间里变得肃静起来。博比·韦斯特拿了一块手帕，把脸埋在了双手间。当卡片传到蒂姆的哥肖恩手中的时候．他流下了泪水。突然韦斯特站起来，绕过桌子，跪倒在肖恩的身边。然后他用双臂拥着肖恩的肩膀，和他一同哭了起来。
　　最后，蒂姆·巴罗斯的“生命之礼”被证明是一件异常慷慨的礼物。
　　除了主要器官——心脏、一个肺叶，肝脏以及两只肾以外，蒂姆的眼角膜给了新泽西州一位42岁的男性和罗利市一位24岁的妇女。从他的身体上取下了总共319片组织移植片分配给了全国各地的患者，至少有100名患者已经接受了移植片。这些移植片上的骨头和组织用在了来自6个不同州的19名做整形手术的患者身上，并准备用于在另外的至少12个州进行的牙科手术上。
　　在这些了不起的数目之后是数十个从此被改变了的生命个体。而聚集在罗利对蒂姆留下的救命的遗产表示敬意的那些人获得的帮助最大。
　　最后，乔舒亚·奈特的父亲布赖恩做了最好的总结：“英语语言中找不到合适的字眼来表达我们感受。‘谢谢’这两个字是不够的。它比‘谢谢’表达的容量更大……大得多。我们每一个人都感受到了。”
海外英语合肥G381中学外语教与学NEAL HIRSCHFELD20022002郑红This Boy's LifeTim Barrows's promise meant a second chance for dozens of strangers 作者：海外英语合肥G381中学外语教与学NEAL HIRSCHFELD20022002

网载 2013-09-10 21:46:31

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