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一位6岁的白血病患儿临终愿望 The Last Wish of a 6-Year-Old Boy with Terminal Leukemia 来源：网络 翻译：佳中  我的一位老同学给我发来e-mial, 转传给我一篇英文故事，据说这是一个真实的故事，
有不少人在 e-mial 转发。读后真的十分感动， What a touching story it it! 我们的
身边太需要这样的故事啦。一位6岁的白血病患儿Billy， 临终的愿望竟是要当一消防员。
他的母亲为了帮助儿子实现他最后的梦想，跑到当地消防站，请求让她儿子坐在消防车上
沿着街区兜一圈。消防队员们的回答是 “Look , we can do better than that. (瞧着
吧,我们可以比这做得更好) 。在消防队员们的努力下，Billy当了一天真正的消防员，三
次与消防队员一起奔赴火灾现场。故事还有一个相当浪漫而感人的结尾。读后如果你要掉
眼泪，那就让它流吧（If you tear up. Go ahead.）
这篇英文故事不算难，有中等英语水平的读者都能看懂。 但是，我还是情不自禁地将 这篇动人的故事翻译出来， 让更多的读者感悟分享。故事的题目是我添加的，因为没有看 到原来的题目。
The Last Wish of a 6-Year-Old Boy with Terminal Leukemia In Phoenix , Arizona , a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6 year old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true. She took her son's hand and asked, “Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted
to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your
life?” “Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.” Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come. Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix , Arizona , where she
met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6
year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, “Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at
seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole
day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the
whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with
a real fire hat — not a toy — one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it,
and a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in
Phoenix, So we can get them fast.”  Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic's' van, and even the fire chief's car. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon
him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought
possible.
One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who
believed in the hospice concept — that no one should die alone, began to call the family
members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so
she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to
the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, “We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes.... Will
you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the Lights flashing,
will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire. It's the department coming to
see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?”
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its
ladder up to Billy's third floor open window. 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into
Billy's room with his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how
much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, “Chief, am I really a
fireman now?” Billy smiled and said, “I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and The angels
have been singing.” He closed his eyes one last time.  译文 在亚利桑那州菲尼克斯城,一个26岁的母亲俯身凝视着她6岁的儿子，他快要死
于晚期白血病。
她的内心充满了悲伤, 但她仍然抱有坚强的信心。像任何的单亲母亲一样, 她
希望她的儿子长大实现他的梦想。而现在已经不可能了,白血病会夺走他的生命。
尽管这样，母亲还是希望儿子梦想成真。
她抚摸着儿子的手问道，“比利，你想过你长大后你想成当什么吗? 你梦到过
你想过怎么样的生活吗？”
“妈咪，我一直想成大后当一名消防员。” 妈妈笑着答道,“让我们试试看能否可实现你的愿望。” 当天晚些时候，母亲就前往菲尼克斯当地消防部门，在那里她遇到了消防员鲍勃。鲍勃
的心胸像菲尼克斯城那样宽广。 母亲讲述了儿子的临终愿望，问能否让她6岁儿子坐在消防车上沿着街区兜一圈。 鲍勃回答说,“瞧着吧,我们可以比这做得更好。如果你能让你儿子星期三早上七点准备
好, 我们能让他当一整天的名誉消防队员。 他可以来消防站和我们一起用餐,有火灾报警立
即出动，让他跟我们去救所有的火灾。如果你把他的尺码给我们， 我们可以为他准备一套真
的消防制服，一顶真的消防帽 --- 不是玩具帽，是一顶佩有菲尼克斯消防局的徽章的消防帽
--- 一件像我们穿的黄色防水雨衣，一双橡胶靴子。 这些装备都是这儿菲尼克斯生产的，
所以我们可以很快得到这些装备。” 三天后, 消防员鲍勃来接比利，给他穿上制服，一直从医院病床护送他上了一辆等待的
装有钩子和梯子的卡车。比利坐在车的后面，帮着开车一起回到消防站，他来到了天堂。那
天菲尼克斯有三起火警，比利都跟着出车了，他坐上不同的消防车，急救车甚至消防队长的
车。 在无限关爱下，他的梦想成真了，这深深地感动了比利，使他比医生预期的时间多活了
三个月。 一天晚上，比利所有的生理指标都开始急剧下降，根据临终关怀理念，护士长认为，人
不能孤独地死去，她开始打电话叫比利的家人到医院来。之后她想起比利曾当过一天的消防
员, 于是也打了个电话给消防队长, 问他能否派一名穿制服的消防员来医院陪伴比利度过最
后的时刻。
队长答道:“我们可以比这做得更好。我们将在五分钟内赶到....请你帮我一个忙好吗?
当你听到警笛长鸣、看到红灯闪烁的时候,请你用PA系统宣布没有发生火灾。 这是消防部门
再次来看望他们最捧的消防员。也麻烦你打开通往比利房间的窗户好吗?”
大约五分钟后,一辆装有钩和梯子卡车开到医院，梯子直伸到三楼敞开的窗户。16名消防
队员得到比利妈妈的允许后爬上梯子进入比利的房间, 他们拥抱比利，告诉他他们是多么爱
他。 比利拼着最后一口气, 抬头望着消防队长说:“队长,我是一名真正的消防员了吗?” “比利，你是的，现在是总队长耶稣握着你的手。”队长回答了这句话。 比利微笑着说, “我知道, 他一整天都握着我的手，天使一直在唱歌。”说完比利永久闭
上了眼睛。 |
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