转载请注明出处:
他出生时即被医生断言活不过当天,18岁时接受截肢手术,30岁时罹患癌症;他没有双腿,却能潜水、驾 车,并成为运动场上的冠军;他孱弱无比,时刻面对死亡,却拥有最完美的爱与生活,并成为世界上最著名的励志 大师。
他成就了生命的奇迹。
出生就被判“死刑”
1969年8月,一个平静的夜晚,约翰・库缇斯在澳大利亚的一所医院出生了。刚出生,他就被医生宣判了 “死刑”。他只有矿泉水瓶那么大,脊椎下部没有发育,双腿像青蛙般细小,而且没有肛门,医学上称为先天性骶 骨发育不全。经过切口手术,他只能痛苦地排便。
医生对小约翰・库缇斯的建议道:“你还是去准备一下他的后事吧,他不可能活过24小时。”可是,当含着 眼泪准备好小衣服、小棺材、小草地之后,却发现儿子还活着。小小的生命,又挣扎着维持了一个星期。医生又预 言,这个孩子不可能活过一个月。但是,小约翰・库缇斯活过了一个月。医生再次预言,这个孩子不可能活过一年 ,小约翰・库缇斯却活过了一年。今天,他依然能够在世界各地发表演讲。
约翰・库缇斯小时候非常胆怯,对任何比他大的事物都有一种恐惧感。家里的狗也不放过他,经常欺负他。父 亲决定改变这一切。一个下午,他一把将小约翰・库缇斯拎起来,让他和家中那只狗一起呆在后院里,并且关上院 门。小约翰・库缇斯惟一能做的事,就是尖叫,吓得他们家附近的邻居几乎要报警。3个小时过去后,父亲的脸上 绽开了欣慰的笑容,因为小约翰・库缇斯正骑在狗背上,挥舞着拳头,在院子里走来走去,像骄傲的 牛仔。
“如果你觉得恐惧,那么你就得学会去面对它!”父亲给小约翰・库缇斯上足了这堂课。对此他永存感激。而 每次放学回家后,母亲都会给他一个温暖的拥抱:“我爱你,约翰!你是我生命中最美好的礼物。”
每当觉得自己可怜的时候,他就想起父母的忠告:生活不是完美无缺的,
moncler pas cher,但也不全坏,还是去品味一下玫瑰的芳香吧!
落难的童年
约翰・库缇斯终于到了上学的年龄,父亲买了一个比他个头还大的书包,并且告诉他,从现在开始,他必须学 会承受生活:真实的世界,就在前面。约翰・库缇斯从小受到的磨难是常人难以想像的,他天生倔强,虽然肢体残 疾,仍坚持到一所健康孩子的小学里读书。
然而,迎接他的却是一场又一场的灾难。那时调皮的孩子把约翰・库缇斯当成怪物,不是追得他乱跑,就是拆 掉他的轮椅。他们弄坏他轮椅上的刹车,让轮椅失去控制,从学校走廊直接飞进了数学老师的办公室。他们把他绑 在教室的吊扇上,然后开动吊扇……
一次,在上幻灯片的课堂上,约翰・库缇斯突然想去厕所。他举起手,希望老师能够看见他,但是放映幻灯片 的课堂实在太暗,而他又太不起眼儿,老师一直没有注意到他。
他悄悄地从椅子上滑下来,开始向课堂外移动。可是,他在黑暗中每移动一步,都感到钻心的疼痛。为什么会 这样?当他终于走出黑暗的房间,
franklin et marshall,坐在教室外的地板上,才发现自己的手上满是图钉。一只手上深深地扎入了5颗,另一只手上扎入 了6颗。
约翰・库缇斯难受极了,挣扎着叫了一辆出租车回到家中。他进了自己的卧室,关上门,望着镜子中的自己, 号啕大哭!他想起那些恶作剧,想起自己受到的嘲笑和戏弄,他对自己说,不要再继续下去了!他想 到了自杀。
这时,他的母亲走了进来。她给了约翰・库缇斯一个只有母亲才能给的特别深情的拥抱,并在他的额上亲了一 下,然后说道:“约翰,你是我们生命中所遇到的最美好的一件事!永远都是!”听完母亲的这句话 ,
polo ralph lauren pas cher,约翰・库缇斯放弃了自杀的念头,决定继续活下去。
1987年,18岁的约翰・库缇斯决定将两条不能发挥作用的残腿截掉,手术后他成了真正的“半”个人。 及时进行腿部切除手术是明智之举,因为畸形腿被切除之后,约翰・库缇斯的行动反而自如多了,并且避免了因为 畸形腿上的溃疡及骨髓炎可能引起的并发症。
约翰・库缇斯学会了用手走路,他的双手和正常人的双腿并“行”在一起,
franklin marshall france。他笑着说,自己看得最多的风景就是各种各样的腿、鞋子和女孩儿的裙子。
成为运动健将
约翰・库缇斯决心做一个自食其力的人,他说:“一个人一旦确定了自己的目标,就应该立刻写下来,然后去 努力实现它,不要怕失败。1000次摔倒,可以1001次地站起来。摔倒多少次没关系,重要的是,你能站起 来多少次。别人对我说,
mercurial pas cher,约翰,你什么都不做也没关系,没有人会责怪你。但我说,我不可以。懒惰不是我的强项,我必须发挥我的优势 。”
中学毕业后,约翰・库缇斯并没有像其他同学那样坐在安静的教室听课。为了能自食其力,他开始找工作。他 趴在滑板上,敲开一家又一家店门,问是否愿意雇用他?很多时候,人家打开店门。根本没有发现几乎趴在地上的 他,只好又把门关上,
franklin and marshall。这期间,他大概敲开了数千家店门。他在五金杂货铺干过,还在一家仪表箱公司拧过螺丝钉。
约翰・库缇斯从12岁起就开始打室内板球,同时,他还喜欢上了举重运动和轮椅橄榄球。做完腿部切除手术 出院后不久,他就出现在室内板球俱乐部。由于手部的长期使用,他手臂的力量自然超出常人,这是他在举重项目 中的优势,而命运也在随着他的努力开始转变。
1994年,约翰・库缇斯成为澳大利亚残疾人网球赛的冠军,并作为澳大利亚板球队的一员应邀去南非旅行 ,受到纳尔逊・曼德拉总统的接见。2000年,约翰・库缇斯拿到来自澳大利亚体育机构的奖学金 ,
polo ralph lauren,为悉尼残奥会训练,并在全国健康举重比赛中排名第二。离开赛场后,约翰・库缇斯在板球、橄榄球联盟、足球 和橄榄球协会等四个主要体育机构都取得了二级教练证书。他用自己的成绩,回击了所有的嘲笑和侮 辱。
演讲出生命的价值
但是,约翰・库缇斯的全新人生,却是从一次偶然的公众演讲开始的。
在一次午餐会上,约翰・库缇斯应邀就自己的经历做了一次15分钟的演讲。结束之后,他赢得了全场最持久 的喝彩。他的经历和成就让现场观众热泪盈眶,一位女士甚至哭着跑上来对他说:“非常感谢你!”原来她觉得自 己很不幸,正准备自杀,身上还带着手枪。听了他的演讲后,她决定好好活下去。
约翰・库缇斯忽然发现,到讲台上去,讲出自己经历的恐惧和忧伤,讲出自己的挣扎和拼搏,给他人以启迪, 是一件非常有意义的事情。
约翰・库缇斯开始了公众演讲生涯。他清醒地认识到,不同于常人的生理特征会对听众们造成一种影响力,但 是如果讲不出有价值的话,他的演讲事业将会十分短暂。因为类似于“怪物展览”式的演出,从来不会有太持久的 票房。他希望听众来分享自己的人生经验,而不是来看“怪物展览”。
在演讲台上,约翰・库缇斯用手踱来踱去,眼神炯炯,声音洪亮,威武得像一头雄狮!他明白真正的演讲,就 是内心真实的表白,源于内心真正的爱。
约翰・库缇斯曾问听众,“有多少人不喜欢自己的鞋子?”听众中齐刷刷地举起了一堆手臂。他的眼神变得锐 利起来,声调也变得严肃,他拿起那双红色的橡胶手套,高举过头顶,说:“这就是我的鞋子,有谁愿意和我换? 即使我拥有全世界的财富,我也愿意和你换。现在,还有谁抱怨自己的鞋子呢?”
如今,约翰・库缇斯已经成为世界级的“励志大师”。他到过190多个国家,做了800多场演讲,用自己 的亲身经历去激励和感动别人。
扼住命运咽喉
1999年下半年,约翰・库缇斯准备结婚,但上天又跟他开了个残酷的玩笑。
在一次巡回演讲中,约翰・库缇斯经常无缘无故地跑到卫生间去呕吐,并且时常感到非常疲惫。一个晚上,他 感到腹股沟处相当不舒服,左侧睾丸整个肿了起来,一碰就痛。
他挣扎着赶到医院时,已经痛得不行了。超声检查报告出来后,医生告诉他,他必须摘除掉左侧睾丸,因为睾 丸错位。一个星期后,医生又面无表情地告诉他:“约翰・库缇斯,看来你得的是睾丸癌,
christian louboutin pas cher。”
他的大脑突然一片空白。他惟一能想到的是――他还没有孩子,他非常想要一个孩子!
过了几天,那个“无情”的医生又跑来告诉他:“对不起,约翰・库缇斯,你的癌细胞已经扩散了!我们估计 你还能活12到24个月。”
“你告诉我什么?”约翰・库缇斯又问了一遍。
“24个月。”那位医生又一次重复,“你的生命……”
约翰・库缇斯听完,爬上了那个医生的桌子,把桌上所有的东西都摔在地上。他怒吼道:“你为什么宣判我的 死刑?我要到自己想死的时候才会死。”
回家的路上,一个念头一直在他头脑里飞转:我就要死了,我就要死了!我如何去告诉我的父母 ?
终于,他鼓足勇气把自己的病情告诉了父母。父亲听到这个消息之后,身体微微震动了一下,但是仍然平静地 说:“约翰,我无法相信。”他说道:“先是你的腿――砰!它们没了。现在是你的睾丸――砰!它们也没了。我 担心,下星期我再过来的时候,你就只剩下一个‘头’了。”约翰・库缇斯听完,咧开嘴笑了,接着又哭了。重要 的是,父亲的话毕竟让他在死亡面前又一次笑了。
接下来,是整整一年与病魔的抗争。约翰・库缇斯阅读了大量关于癌症的资料,他在网上搜索,什么东西都看 ,几乎成了癌症资讯的专家。他四处打听,看看有没有人能给自己一些好的建议。一位痊愈的白血病患者打电话对 他说:“听着,就按照医生的话去做,但不要停止生活。”自然,他也从没有停止过生活。
2000年5月,约翰・库缇斯结束了治疗,被正式列入癌症痊愈者行列。当死亡离开的时候,他感到了深深 的宁静。不久,约翰・库缇斯结婚了。在拥有美丽太太丽恩的同时,他还拥有了太太的儿子――6岁的克莱顿。尽 管儿子有自闭症、肌肉萎缩症、大脑内膜破损、心肌功能障碍,但是约翰・库缇斯坚持说:“我儿子将来一定会成 为最棒的人物!”
这个世界,充满了伤痛和苦难。有的人在烦恼,有的人在哭泣。而他,约翰・库缇斯却认为,对于痛苦的命运 ,仍应该去拥抱。
相关的主题文章:
他挽起袖子
刹那间席卷了我心中的沙滩
特建议有关部门
.
Ron DiFrancesco's voice softens and trails off. He barely finishes his sentences as he recalls his experience on Sept. 11, 2001. He speaks as if it happened yesterday.
"It was a living hell," he says. "I was mere seconds from death. ... I didn't know I was going to get out."
DiFrancesco is believed to be the last person out of the South Tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed. According to some reports, he was one of only four people to escape from above the 81st floor.
A decade later, survivor's guilt still weighs heavily on him.
"I will carry with me to my grave whether I should have taken somebody with me," he says, "I still harbor a lot of guilt.
"Time does heal a bit, but it doesn't make you forget what happened. And I think, for our generation, it's our marking point in history. It changed the world that day," he says.
DiFrancesco prefers not to go into detail about his horrifying experience on 9/11. He says it forces him to relive the nightmare. In the past 10 years, he has given only a few interviews, including one for John Geiger's book The Third Man Factor and another for an article in the Ottawa Citizen. Based on those accounts, this is what happened to DiFrancesco:
The first plane had just struck the North Tower, and from his office on the 84th floor of the South Tower, DiFrancesco, a 37-year-old Canadian money-market broker for Euro Brokers, could see smoke billowing from the building. Moments after he left his office to evacuate, the second plane smashed into the South Tower, hitting the building between the 77th and 85th floors.
DiFrancesco was thrown against a wall by the force of the impact, and then he rushed to the nearest stairwell and headed down. On the way, he ran into a group of people trying to escape; they told him to go up the stairs instead, because the flames were too bad below.
As they debated which way to go, they heard someone calling for help. DiFrancesco and his colleague Brian Clark, an executive vice president at Euro Brokers, went to rescue the man, but DiFrancesco became overwhelmed by smoke and had to turn back.
He began to go up the stairs to find clear air, but the doors on each landing were locked, a safety mechanism to keep smoke from filling the whole building in the event of a fire. Panic set in as it became harder to breathe, so he turned around and started back down.
He reached a landing in the impact zone and joined others lying on the floor, gasping for air. But a voice told him to get up and keep going. He ran down the stairs, covering his face with his forearms as he fought through the flames.
Finally he reached the ground floor, where a security guard directed him to a different exit. As he reached it, he heard a giant roar as the building began to collapse. He turned and saw a fireball heading right at him. Days later, he woke up in the hospital with lacerations on his head, burns all over his body, and a broken bone in his back.
Ten years later, DiFrancesco, who is now 47 and living in Toronto, Canada, says the memories and the aftermath of 9/11 permeate his everyday life.
"The scars on my head and my arms remind me every day how fortunate I am," he says. "There are mementos throughout the house. In our living room, we have quite a few pictures of New York and a picture of the World Trade Center. We have a couple of albums of cards that people had sent, and there are some memorial books we look at [too]. They actually gave my wife the watch that was on my wrist on 9/11. It was broken, but it stopped at the exact time the building came down."
But the effects of his experience that day go much deeper than his scars and mementos. DiFrancesco's near-death experience changed his entire outlook on life.
"For me, being so close to death, I don't fear dying or moving on," he says. "When I was almost down and out, I did see the light, and I was prepared to go, but I'm here. … If I was to die tomorrow I would hate leaving my wife and kids, but I don't fear dying now."
DiFrancesco's whole mentality changed, too. He's constantly on alert, even when there's no imminent threat.
"I'm very aware of my surroundings and what's going on, what I'm doing, and what other people are doing," he says. "Whenever I go into a building or a room, I need to know where the exit is, because that day I wasn't in control, and I almost didn't make it out. It's a bit obsessive I think, but it's changed the way I think and the way I act."
Even seemingly normal occurrences cause terrifying flashbacks.
"When I see tall buildings and planes, it jogs my memory," he says. "Loud noises [and chaos] really bother me. I'm a little claustrophobic, so when [I'm] in a big crowd, it gets to me a lot. I also find screaming and yelling really gets to me."
But out of the pain and chaos came compassion, hope, and a deeper meaning to the idea of paying it forward. DiFrancesco and his family have always been religious and involved in community service, but the overwhelming outreach from their friends and neighbors after 9/11 moved them to make it a bigger part of their lives.
"When I was in the hospital, people were taking care of meals for the family, and that went on for months," he says. His community went out of its way to help get the DiFrancesco family back on their feet.
"My car was left at the train station, and my wife didn't know where it was. A neighbor came and found my car and brought it back to us," he explains. "And I only had the one key that was melted in the World Trade Center, so he went and got new keys made for my car."
The lengths to which his community went to support them inspired DiFrancesco and his wife more than ever to pay it forward and to teach their kids to do the same. Now, DiFrancesco is on the board of two charities: Villa Colombo, a home for Italian seniors, and Camp Trillium, a charity that promotes and offers recreational experiences for children with cancer and their families.
For the DiFrancescos, volunteering for Camp Trillium is a family event.
"I participate in this cancer bike ride ... we ride basically 60 miles a day for four days," he says. "My children and my wife are actively involved [too]. My two older children ride with me, and my two younger [kids] and my wife volunteer for the four days."
DiFrancesco has always enjoyed cycling, especially for a good cause, but ever since 9/11, his riding has taken on a different meaning, and he rides for an hour or two almost daily.
"I love the peacefulness of the road, riding my bike, and riding in a pack ... [it's] a bit of healing for me," he says. "I find it cathartic."
The healing process is an ongoing one for his family. Over the years, DiFrancesco and his wife have been collecting friends' and families' stories of how 9/11 affected them -- and may even consider putting them into a book.
"We both find it fascinating what you were doing that day ... people went home, picked up their kids from school, and hugged them and kept them close," he says. "Just hearing [their] stories ... it's interesting to find out what everyone was doing on that day."
There are still questions that may never be answered, and survivor's guilt is ever-present.
"I don't understand all of it," he says. "Why did I survive and 61 of my colleagues didn't?"
For DiFrancesco, though, one message is clear.
"When your number is up, He will call you. Coming so close to death, I believe you can't change destiny," he says. "Be happy with every day we have here."