I've been a first responder in a number of incidents ranging from car accidents to Hurricane Sandy.

我是災難現場的第一線接觸傷患者 從車禍到珊迪颶風都經歷過

If you are like most people, death might be one of your greatest fears.

如果你是多數人 死亡或許會是你最害怕的事情之一

Some of us will see it coming.

有些人會看著死亡降臨

Some of us won't.

有些則不會

There is a little-known documented medical term called impending doom.

有個鮮為人知的醫學用語稱為"瀕死"

It's almost a symptom.

這幾乎是個徵兆

As a medical provider, I'm trained to respond to this symptom like any other,

作為醫生 我被訓練著要回答這樣的徵兆

so when a patient having a heart attack looks at me and says,

因此 當有個心臟衰竭的病患看著我 說

"I'm going to die today," we are trained to reevaluate the patient's condition.

我今天要死了 我們被訓練要重新評估病患的狀況

Throughout my career, I have responded to a number of incidents where the patient had minutes left to live and there was nothing I could do for them.

在我的職業生涯中 我已經經歷許多次 當病患只剩下幾分鐘能存活 而我無能為力時

With this, I was faced with a dilemma:

我面對了一個困境

Do I tell the dying that they are about to face death, or do I lie to them to comfort them?

我應該要告訴他們 他們即將面對死亡 或我應該為了安慰而說謊？

Early in my career, I faced this dilemma by simply lying.

早期的職業生涯 我選擇說謊

I was afraid. I was afraid if I told them the truth, that they would die in terror, in fear, just grasping for those last moments of life.

我很害怕 我很怕如果我告訴他們事實 他們便會死於恐懼 害怕 緊抓著生命最後的時刻

That all changed with one incident.

這個狀況因為一場事件而改變

Five years ago, I responded to a motorcycle accident.

五年前 我到了摩托車失事現場

The rider had suffered critical, critical injuries.

騎士身受重傷

As I assessed him, I realized that there was nothing that could be done for him,

當我評估著他的身體狀況 我知道我已經無能為力

and like so many other cases, he looked me in the eye and asked that question: "Am I going to die?"

就像其他的案例 他深深地看進我的雙眼 問了那個問題 我會死嗎？

In that moment, I decided to do something different. I decided to tell him the truth.

在那個時刻 我決定做一件不一樣的事情 我告訴他真相

I decided to tell him that he was going to die and that there was nothing I could do for him.

我決定告訴他 他即將死去 我無能為力

His reaction shocked me to this day.

他的回應讓我震驚

He simply laid back and had a look of acceptance on his face.

他躺了回去 露出一臉接受的表情

He was not met with that terror or fear that I thought he would be.

他並沒有因此像我預測般地 感到恐懼或害怕

He simply laid there, and as I looked into his eyes, I saw inner peace and acceptance.

他就只是躺在那裏 而當我看進他的雙眼 我看到平靜與接受

From that moment forward, I decided it was not my place to comfort the dying with my lies.

經過那一刻 我決定了 我的職責並非為了安慰而說謊

Having responded to many cases since then where patients were in their last moments and there was nothing I could do for them,

自此 當病患僅剩一絲呼吸 且我無能為力時 我就這樣回答他們

in almost every case, they have all had the same reaction to the truth, of inner peace and acceptance.

大多數的病患 對死亡有相同的反應 內心平靜且接受

In fact, there are three patterns I have observed in all these cases.

事實上 我觀察到三種面對死亡的模式

The first pattern always kind of shocked me.

第一種常會讓我大吃一驚

Regardless of religious belief or cultural background, there's a need for forgiveness.

儘管擁有不同信仰或文化背景 他們都希望得到寬恕

Whether it is called a sin or they simply say they have a regret, their guilt is universal.

不論他們稱為犯罪或只是感到遺憾 他們的內疚是普遍的

I had once cared for an elderly gentleman who was having a massive heart attack.

有次 我照顧著一位患有嚴重心肌衰竭的老先生

As I prepared myself and my equipment for his imminent cardiac arrest, I began to tell the patient of his imminent demise.

當我準備著緊急心搏停止器材 我告訴他 他僅剩最後一點時光

He already knew by my tone of voice and body language.

他透過我的音調與肢體語言 就已經知道了

As I placed the defibrillator pads on his chest, prepping for what was going to happen,

當我在他的胸部放置去纖顫器墊 準備好接下來的一切

he looked me in the eye and said, "I wish I had spent more time with my children and grandchildren instead of being selfish with my time."

他看著我 說 我希望我能花更多時間在我的小孩和孫子上 而不是自私地不願花費時間

Faced with imminent death, all he wanted was forgiveness.

面對即將到來的死亡 他只希望能得到寬恕

The second pattern I observe is the need for remembrance.

第二種情況是他們希望能被記得

Whether it was to be remembered in my thoughts or their loved ones', they needed to feel that they would be living on.

不論是被誰記得 他們希望能因此有一種 仍活在這個世界的感受

There's a need for immortality within the hearts and thoughts of their loved one, myself, my crew, or anyone around.

他們希望能活在人們的心裡或腦海中 永垂不朽

Countless times, I have had a patient look me in the eyes and say, "Will you remember me?"

無數次 病患看著我的眼睛 說著 你會記得我嗎

The final pattern I observe always touched me the deepest, to the soul.

最後一種 總是讓我深受感動

The dying need to know that their life had meaning.

他們極想知道他們的人生是有意義的

They need to know that they did not waste their life on meaningless tasks.

他們想要知道 他們並沒有浪費時光在不必要的事情上

This came to me very, very early in my career.

這種面對死亡的態度 在我早期的職涯中已碰過

I responded to a call.

我接到了通知

There was a female in her late 50s severely pinned within a vehicle.

有位五十多歲的女性被車子壓住

She had been t-boned at a high rate of speed, critical, critical condition.

車子被其他車輛高速側撞 情況非常緊急

As the fire department worked to remove her from the car, I climbed in to begin to render care.

當消防隊正努力地將她移出車底 我爬進去安撫著她

As we talked, she had said to me, "There was so much more I wanted to do with my life."

當我們談著 她說 我還有好多事情想做啊

She had felt she had not left her mark on this Earth.

她覺得她還沒有在這個世上留下足跡

As we talked further, it would turn out that she was a mother of two adopted children who were both on their way to medical school.

當我們深聊 我才知道她有兩個領養孩子 他們正在念醫學校

Because of her, two children had a chance they never would have had otherwise and would go on to save lives in the medical field as medical doctors.

因為她 這兩個孩子有這樣的機會 且有能力在未來的日子救助病人

It would end up taking 45 minutes to free her from the vehicle.

我們花了45分鐘 將她從車裡救出

However, she perished prior to freeing her.

然而 她已經過世了

I believed what you saw in the movies: when you're in those last moments that it's strictly terror, fear.

我相信那些你們在電影中看到的場景 在瀕死的最後時刻感到害怕恐懼

I have come to realize, regardless of the circumstance, it's generally met with peace and acceptance,

但我也了解到 不論處於什麼情況 瀕死通常也伴隨著和平與接受

that it's the littlest things, the littlest moments, the littlest things you brought into the world that give you peace in those final moments.

因為你在世上做的那些小事 讓你在最後獲得了寧靜

Thank you

謝謝