Allison Hunt: How I got my new hip

譯者: Bill Hsiung 審譯者: Curtis Lo

Allison Hunt: My three minutes hasn't started yet, has it?

我的三分鐘還沒開始吧？

Chris Anderson: No, you can't start the three minutes.

没有。先别開始計時。

Reset the three minutes, that's just not fair.

重設時間，否則對她不公平。

AH: Oh my God, it's harsh up here.

天啊！這演講的規定也太嚴格了。

I mean I'm nervous enough as it is.

我是說，我已經夠緊張啦！

But I am not as nervous as I was five weeks ago.

不過我已經没有五週前那麼緊張了。

Five weeks ago I had total hip replacement surgery.

五週以前，我做了全髖骨置換手術

Do you know that surgery?

— 你知道這個手術嗎？

Electric saw, power drill, totally disgusting

電鋸，電鑽，超級噁心的。

unless you're David Bolinsky, in which case it's all truth and beauty.

除非你是大衛•布林斯基，因為他認為手術只有真和美。

Sure David, if it's not your hip, it's truth and beauty.

當然，大衛，只要不是你的髖骨，就會有真和美。

Anyway, I did have a really big epiphany around the situation,

總之，這件事給了我很大的啟示。

so Chris invited me to tell you about it.

所以克里斯邀請我和大家分享這件事。

But first you need to know two things about me.

但首先你需要知道兩件關於我的事。

Just two things.

就兩件事。

I'm Canadian, and I'm the youngest of seven kids.

第一，我是加拿大人。第二，我是家中七個孩子裡最小的。

Now, in Canada, we have that great healthcare system.

在加拿大，我們有偉大的健保系統。

That means we get our new hips for free.

那意味著置換髖骨是免費的。

And being the youngest of seven,

而身為七個小孩中的老么，

I have never been at the front of the line for anything. OK?

做任何事情總是都需要排隊才輪得到我。對吧！

So my hip had been hurting me for years.

我的髖骨已經痛了好幾年了。

I finally went to the doctor, which was free.

我終於去看了醫生。那是免費的。

And she referred me to an orthopedic surgeon, also free.

她將我轉診給骨外科醫生，那也是免費的。

Finally got to see him after 10 months of waiting -- almost a year.

等了十個月後終於見到了他 — 將近一年呀！

That is what free gets you.

這就是免費的代價。

I met the surgeon, and he took some free X-rays,

我見了外科醫生，他幫我拍了幾張免費的 X 光片，

and I got a good look at them. And you know,

我很仔細地看了這些 X 光片，然後你知道的，

even I could tell my hip was bad,

就連我這個大外行也看得出髖骨有問題。

and I actually work in marketing.

而我只是個從事行銷的人。

So he said, "Allison, we've got to get you on the table.

因此他說：「艾麗森，我們必須幫你安排手術。」

I'm going to replace your hip -- it's about an 18-month wait."

我要給你換個髖骨 — 大概需要 18 個月的等待。

18 more months.

還要再等 18 個月?！

I'd already waited 10 months, and I had to wait 18 more months.

我已經等了 10 個月了，現在還要再多等 18 個月。

You know, it's such a long wait that I actually

你知道的，這麼漫長的等待讓我不禁

started to even think about it in terms of TEDs.

開始使用 TED 演講來計算等待的時間。

I wouldn't have my new hip for this TED.

在這一次的 TED 我不會有新的髖骨，

I wouldn't have my new hip for TEDGlobal in Africa.

非洲的 TEDGlobal，我也不會有新髖骨，

I would not have my new hip for TED2008.

TED2008，我仍然不會有新髖骨。

I would still be on my bad hip. That was so disappointing.

我的壞髖骨仍然會陪伴着我。這真是太令人失望了。

So, I left his office and I was walking through the hospital,

所以，我離開了他的辦公室，在醫院中走著，

and that's when I had my epiphany.

就在這時，我領悟到，

This youngest of seven had to get herself to the front of the line.

七個孩子的老么必須想辦法擠到前面去。

Oh yeah.

喔～對了！

Can I tell you how un-Canadian that is?

你知道這種行為很不像加拿大人嗎？

We do not think that way.

我們不是這樣思考的。

We don't talk about it. It's not even a consideration.

我們不會去談論這件事，呃，這根本不是一個選項。

In fact, when we're traveling abroad, it's how we identify fellow Canadians.

事實上，當我們在外國旅行時，我們就是這樣來辨別自己的同胞。

"After you." "Oh, no, no. After you."

「你先來。」「噢，不，不，你先來。」

Hey, are you from Canada? "Oh, me too! Hi!"

喂，你是從加拿大來的？「噢，我也是！嗨！」

"Great! Excellent!"

「太棒了！好極了！」

So no, suddenly I wasn't averse to butting any geezer off the list.

所以，不，忽然間我不介意把名單前面的老傢伙給擠到後面去。

Some 70-year-old who wanted his new hip

某些需要換髖骨的 70 歲老人，

so he could be back golfing, or gardening.

他們只是為了打打高爾夫球或種種花草。

No, no. Front of the line.

不，不。這次我要搶在前面。

So by now I was walking the lobby, and of course, that hurt,

那時我正在醫院的大廳行走，當然，因為我髖骨問題，

because of my hip, and I kind of needed a sign.

所以很痛。我需要一個指引。

And I saw a sign.

然後我真的得到了指引，

In the window of the hospital's tiny gift shop there was a sign

醫院裡的小禮品店窗上有個佈告，

that said, "Volunteers Needed." Hmm.

寫著，「義工招募中」。嗯～

Well, they signed me up immediately.

接著，他們馬上就僱用我了。

No reference checks. None of the usual background stuff, no.

沒有按常規檢查背景，不要推薦人，都不需要。

They were desperate for volunteers

他們極需義工

because the average age of the volunteer at the hospital gift shop was 75.

因為醫院禮品店裡現有義工的平均年齡是 75 歲。

Yeah. They needed some young blood.

是的。他們需要一些新血注入。

So, next thing you know, I had my bright blue volunteer vest,

所以很快地我就穿上了鮮藍的義工背心，

I had my photo ID, and I was fully trained by my 89-year-old boss.

做了相片識別證，89 歲的老闆對我進行了全面的培訓。

I worked alone.

我能獨當一面了。

Every Friday morning I was at the gift shop.

每星期五早上我都在禮品店工作。

While ringing in hospital staff's Tic Tacs,

每當醫院員工們在一起嗑牙閒聊時，

I'd casually ask, "What do you do?"

我總會順口問問：「你是做什麼的？」

Then I'd tell them, "Well, I'm getting my hip replaced -- in 18 months.

接著我會告訴他們，「18 個月後我就能接受髖骨置換手術了。

It's gonna be so great when the pain stops. Ow!"

不用再受苦了，真是太好了！」

All the staff got to know the plucky, young volunteer.

全醫院的員工都認識這位勇敢的年輕義工。

My next surgeon's appointment was, coincidentally,

很巧的，我和外科醫師的下個預約看診日，

right after a shift at the gift shop.

正好是我從禮品店下班後。

So, naturally, I had my vest and my identification.

因此，我理所當然地帶著背心和識別證去看醫生。

I draped them casually over the chair in the doctor's office.

我把它們隨手搭在醫生辦公室的椅子背上

And you know, when he walked in,

你可以想像，當醫生走進來時，

I could just tell that he saw them.

我可以知道他看到了它們。

Moments later, I had a surgery date just weeks away,

一陣子後，我的手術時間定在幾週後，

and a big fat prescription for Percocet.

並開给我大量的止痛藥。

Now, word on the street was that it was actually

現在，市井間的傳言都說

my volunteering that got me to the front of the line.

我能提前動手術是因為我做了醫院的義工。

And, you know, I'm not even ashamed of that.

但你知道，我絲毫不對此感到羞愧。

Two reasons.

因為兩個原因。

First of all, I am going to take such good care of this new hip.

首先，我會很好地照顧這新髖骨。

But also I intend to stick with the volunteering,

另外，我會繼續從事義工服務。

which actually leads me to the biggest epiphany of them all.

我最大的啟示其實是從這裡得到的。

Even when a Canadian cheats the system,

即使當加拿大人會在制度面取巧，

they do it in a way that benefits society.

他們也是用之來造福社會。