An extreme sportsman has made a
heart-warming photo diary charting his agonising decision
to have his left foot amputated.
Joseph Pleban, 23, was told he had a rare
bone and joint disease which caused recurring tumours in his ankle.
He decided to have his left foot removed by
surgeons after realising it would allow him to continue to pursue extreme
sports.
美國一名23歲的極限運動愛好者 Joseph Pleban，患有罕見骨骼和關節疾病，病情嚴重到必須截肢。在接受手術前，他計畫發布一系列攝影日記，並在網路上公開自己接受治療的過程，以樂觀心態迎接新生活。
- Agonising (adj.) 極度痛苦的
- Amputate (v.) 切斷；截 (肢)
- Joint (n.) 關節
- Recurring (adj.) 再發的；循環的
- Tumour (n.) 腫瘤
Mr Pleban broke his ankle while
wakeboarding the day after he graduated from college in 2008. Doctors operated
on the ankle and found that the area was full of small tumours.
It was discovered that he had a rare
condition called pigmented villonodular synovitis, which produces malignant non-cancerous tumours which attack cartilage, causing agonising degenerative
arthritis.
An operation to remove the tumours was
carried out but within six months they had grown back. In 2010 Mr Pleban underwent a second round of surgery followed by radiation therapy and was told he would no longer be able to pursue sports.
He said: 'I was a competition swimmer for
18 years then played rugby through college.
Later I picked up American football, soccer and snowboarding.'
'Any sport - you name it, I'd play it. To
be told that I wouldn't be able to play sports was the worst thing I had ever
heard.'
2008年 Pleban 從事花式滑水運動時傷到腳踝，就醫後，醫生在他的左腳踝發現許多小腫瘤，研判他是罹患了罕見的「色素沉著絨毛結節性滑膜炎」，將會導致關節退化，腫瘤經過手術處理，沒想到半年後又復發。
2010年，經過兩次的手術失敗，Pleban 決定鼓起勇氣，接受醫師的建議，切除自己的左腳腳踝。
「我從事水上活動已經18年，我還打橄欖球，之後又迷上足球與滑雪。我真心熱愛所有體育運動，被告知我可能無法再從事任何運動，真的是我此生經歷過最糟糕的事。」
- Malignant (adj.) 惡性的，致命的
A cancer is a malignant growth.
癌是一種惡性贅生物。
- Cartilage (n.) 軟骨
- Degenerative (adj.) 退化的；變質的
- Arthritis (n.) 關節炎
- Undergo (v.) 接受 (治療，檢查等)
All the freshmen will undergo a physical examination.
所有的新生都將接受健康檢查。
- Radiation (n.) 放射線
- Rugby (n.) 英式橄欖球
Mr Pleban and his girlfriend Johnna Hetrick, 30, decided to create a photo record, beginning three months before he had surgery.
He said: 'We drew
up a list of things which we wanted to do while I could. It was
heartbreaking to lose it, but that wasn't going to stop me doing things before
I lost it.'
在手術前的三個月，Pleban 和女友 Johnna Hetrick 決定進行一項特別的歡送計畫，紀念與左腳的最後時光。
「我們定了一張願望清單，希望在我還能做到的時候完成這些願望。失去是痛苦的，但在失去前，沒有什麼能夠阻止我去做這些事！」
- Draw up 起草；制訂 = rough in
He has drawn up a vacation plan.
他已擬好假期計劃。
- Heartbreaking (adj.) 令人心碎的
Activities included go-karting, paintballing, watersliding and skydiving. The couple
went on vacation to the Caribbean and went scuba diving
and parasailing.
In an expression of Mr Pleban's bravery and
sense of humour, he uploaded pictures with electric saws
and paintball guns, offering them up as alternative ways to remove his
leg.
Just before the operation he asked for a
tattoo of a line on his ankle with the words 'please cut here'.
願望清單的項目包括卡丁車、打漆彈、滑水和高空跳傘。他和女友還遠赴加勒比海度假，體驗水肺潛水、帆傘滑翔。同時他們還拍了各種斷腿方法的惡搞照片，例如拿電鋸切斷腿。在手術前，幽默的 Pleban 甚至還在腳踝上刺了“Please cut here”的刺青！
- Paintball (n.) 漆彈
- Scuba diving (n.) 潛水
- Parasailing (n.) 帆傘運動
- Saw (n.) 鋸子
'Right before the surgery, I freaked out a bit. I realised there would be no way
to turn back from my decision once I'd had the surgery.
'But as soon as I woke up from the surgery
and looked down, I knew I had done the right thing
He is already planning Hallowe'en costume
ideas with his girlfriend. He said: 'I could be a surfer and she could be a
shark - maybe we could add a surfboard with a shark bite out of it.
Miss Hetrick said: 'He is an inspiration to
me. Him losing part of his leg wouldn't change my feelings for him at all.
Pleban 坦言：「就在手術之前，我赫然了解到一旦我接受了手術，一切就再也回不去了。不過當我醒過來後，看著我的左腿，我明白我的決定是正確的。」
「我們也已經想好今年萬聖節的裝扮－我扮演遇難的衝浪客，她扮成鯊魚。也許我們還需要借一面有鯊魚咬痕的衝浪板！」
女友 Johnna 說道：「他給了我莫大的啟發，至於他腿上少的那一截，絲毫不會影響我們之間的感情。」
- Freaked out 嚇壞了
