为自闭症患者跑马拉松

前几天的天气预报一直说这个周末有可能下雨，不习惯在雨中长跑的我提前向训练团队的主教练M请假不参加这个星期六的集体长跑。然而,昨晚收到主教练M发来的电子邮件说今天清晨不会有雨，建议我不要轻易放弃。因此，今天早晨我就与朋友们一起跑了14英里，8分21秒的pace，感觉挺好。回到家，洗漱完毕后，检查电子邮件，读到跑友P昨晚从芝加哥发来的一封信，我被感动得眼睛湿润了。

30岁出头的P和妻子有一对漂亮的龙凤胎儿女。孩子们已经6岁，哥哥上小学1年级，妹妹却因为患自闭症在接受特殊教育。每个人训练跑马拉松的原因各异。而这次P跑芝加哥马拉松是为自闭症研究机构募款而跑，为象他女儿一样的自闭症患者而跑。征得P的同意，我将他的来信和我的回复放在我的博客（注：我将其中的部分信息用字母屏蔽了）。愿更多的人关心和帮助自闭症患者以及他们的家人，更祈祷能早日寻找到预防和治疗自闭症的方法。

（1）P写来的电子邮件

Dear friends and family,

As you know, I will be running in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. This will be my third marathon and first marathon for which I had to prepare during the scorching summer months in TTT. Chicago is also first of the two marathons that I will run for Organization for Autism Research （OAR）this year.

I am ready… for many reasons.

I am ready because I ran almost 1000 miles to prepare for this event. I am ready because the average temperature in which I was running was more than 80 degrees. I am ready because the humidity in HHH hasn’t been less than 100% for many months now.

Most of all, I am ready because I have your support. Through your generosity, I have been able to raise $X,XXX for the OAR. The great people at OAR will use this money to fund research that will one day explain the reasons why perfectly healthy kids like my daughter K can’t find a way to deal with the things the rest of us take for granted. I love you all for that.

At some point it will get really tough on Sunday. The dreaded wall. Knowing that I have you all behind me will drive me to finish stronger than ever before. I dedicate every inch of the 26.2 miles ahead of me to you.

Love,

P


（2）我的回复

Dear P,

Your email moved me to tears. I pray someday there will be a breakthrough for K and for all kids on the spectrum. She is blessed to have a father like you who will fight for her and be her champion.

I’m so proud of you for pushing through the heat and the humidity. No matter what will happen tomorrow when gun goes off, you are a winner. Min and I will be thinking of you and praying for you every step of the way.

Love,

L





音乐《爱的抒怀》