English Original
In my dual profession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with HIV. The relationships with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler.
Tyler was born with HIV; his mother was also infected. From the beginning, he depended on medications to survive. At age five, a tube was surgically inserted into a vein in his chest, connected to a pump he carried in a backpack. Medications were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemental oxygen.
Tyler refused to let his disease steal his childhood. He was often seen playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine-laden backpack and pulling his oxygen tank in a little wagon. We all marveled at his pure joy and energy. His mom often teased him, saying he moved so fast she needed to dress him in red so she could spot him quickly through the window.
Eventually, the disease wore down even a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill, as did his mother. When it became clear he would not survive, his mother talked to him about death, comforting him by saying she was dying too and would be with him soon in heaven.
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me to his hospital bed and whispered, "I might die soon. I'm not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she's coming to heaven, too. I'll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me."
中文翻译
我身兼教育工作者和医疗护理人员的双重职业，曾与许多感染艾滋病毒的儿童一起工作。与这些特殊孩子的关系是我生命中的礼物。他们教会我，巨大的勇气可以蕴藏在最弱小的身躯里。让我讲讲泰勒的故事。
泰勒一出生就感染了艾滋病毒，他的母亲也被感染了。从生命之初，他就依赖药物才能存活。五岁时，一根导管通过手术植入他胸部的静脉，连接着他背在背包里的一个泵。药物通过这根导管持续输送到他的血液中。有时，他还需要补充氧气来辅助呼吸。
泰勒不愿让疾病夺走他童年的任何一刻。人们常常看到他在后院玩耍奔跑，背着装满药物的背包，用他的小拖车拉着氧气罐。所有认识泰勒的人都惊叹于他对生命的纯粹喜悦和由此迸发的活力。他的妈妈常开玩笑说，他跑得太快了，得给他穿上红衣服，这样她从窗口看他玩耍时，才能一眼找到他。
最终，即使是泰勒这样的小小能量源，也被这可怕的疾病耗尽了。他病得很重，他不幸的母亲也是。当他显然无法幸存时，他的母亲和他谈论了死亡。她安慰泰勒说，她也快要死了，很快就会在天堂与他相聚。
去世前几天，泰勒把我叫到他的病床边，低声说道：“我可能快死了。我不害怕。我死的时候，请给我穿上红衣服。妈妈答应过她也会来天堂的。等她到那儿的时候，我会在玩耍，我想确保她能找到我。”