English Original
As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she collided with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.
"Watch it, squirt," the boy yelled as he dodged around the little third-grader. Then, with a smirk on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.
Amy closed her eyes. Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her classroom.
But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the only one. It seemed that ever since Amy started the third grade, someone teased her every single day. Kids teased her about her speech or her limping. Amy was tired of it. Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing made her feel all alone.
Back home at the dinner table that evening, Amy was quiet. Her mother knew that things were not going well at school. That's why Patti Hagadorn was happy to have some exciting news to share with her daughter.
"There's a Christmas wish contest on the radio station," Amy's mom announced. "Write a letter to Santa, and you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with blonde curly hair should enter."
Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.
A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her. Out came pencil and paper, and Amy went to work on her letter. "Dear Santa Claus," she began.
While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa. Amy's sister, Jamie, and Amy's mom both thought a three-foot Barbie doll would top Amy's wish list. Amy's dad guessed a picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then.
Here is Amy's letter to Santa, just as she wrote it that night:
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am nine years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love,
Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas wish contest. The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.
When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse Amy's schoolmates who didn't understand her disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third-grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the News Sentinel. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple yet remarkable Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.
During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support. Amy and her family read every single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.
Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Lynn, a sixth-grader from Texas, sent this message:
"I would like to be your friend," she wrote, "and if you want to visit me, we could have fun. No one would make fun of us, 'cause if they do, we will not even hear them."
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got another bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21 as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.
"Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and warmth."
中文翻译
当艾米·哈格多恩从教室出来，转过走廊拐角时，她与一个迎面跑来的五年级高个子男孩撞了个满怀。
"看着点，小不点，"男孩一边躲闪着绕过这个三年级小女孩，一边喊道。接着，他脸上带着讥笑，抓住自己的右腿，模仿起艾米走路一瘸一拐的样子。
艾米闭上了眼睛。别理他，她一边走向教室，一边告诉自己。
但一天结束时，艾米仍在想着那个高个子男孩刻薄的嘲弄。而且，他并非唯一这样做的人。似乎自从艾米上三年级以来，每天都有人取笑她。孩子们取笑她的说话方式或她跛行的样子。艾米受够了。有时，即使是在坐满其他学生的教室里，这种嘲弄也让她感到无比孤独。
那天晚上回到家，在餐桌旁，艾米很安静。她的母亲知道学校情况不妙。正因如此，帕蒂·哈格多恩很高兴能有些激动人心的消息与女儿分享。
"广播电台有一个圣诞愿望比赛，"艾米的妈妈宣布道。"给圣诞老人写封信，你就有可能赢得奖品。我觉得餐桌旁这位金色卷发的人应该参加。"
艾米咯咯地笑了。这个比赛听起来很有趣。她开始思考圣诞节最想要什么。
当这个想法第一次浮现在脑海时，艾米脸上露出了笑容。她拿出纸笔，开始写信。"亲爱的圣诞老人，"她写道。
当艾米认真地用最好的字迹写信时，家里的其他人都在猜测她可能会向圣诞老人要什么。艾米的姐姐杰米和妈妈都认为一个三英尺高的芭比娃娃会是艾米愿望清单的首选。艾米的爸爸猜是一本图画书。但艾米当时还不准备透露她秘密的圣诞愿望。
以下是艾米那晚写给圣诞老人的信：
亲爱的圣诞老人：
我叫艾米。我九岁了。我在学校遇到了一个问题。你能帮我吗，圣诞老人？孩子们因为我走路、跑步和说话的方式而嘲笑我。我患有脑性麻痹。我只想要一天，没有人嘲笑我或取笑我的一天。
爱你的，
艾米
在印第安纳州韦恩堡的WJLT广播电台，参加圣诞愿望比赛的信件如雪片般飞来。工作人员饶有兴致地阅读着全市男孩女孩们想要的各式各样的圣诞礼物。
当艾米的信寄到电台时，经理李·托宾仔细地阅读了它。他知道脑性麻痹是一种肌肉失调症，可能会让那些不了解她残疾的同学感到困惑。他认为让韦恩堡的人们听听这位特殊的三年级学生和她不寻常的愿望是件好事。托宾先生给当地报社打了电话。
第二天，艾米的照片和她写给圣诞老人的信登上了《新闻哨兵报》的头版。这个故事迅速传播开来。全国各地的报纸、广播电台和电视台都报道了印第安纳州韦恩堡这个小女孩的故事，她想要的圣诞礼物如此简单却又非凡——仅仅是一天不被取笑的日子。
突然间，邮递员成了哈格多恩家的常客。每天都有来自全国各地的儿童和成人寄给艾米的、各种尺寸的信件。这些信件充满了节日问候和鼓励的话语。
在那个难忘的圣诞节期间，来自世界各地的两千多人给艾米寄来了友谊和支持的信件。艾米和她的家人读了每一封信。有些写信人本身有残疾；有些人小时候也曾被取笑过。每位写信人都给艾米带来了特别的信息。通过这些陌生人的卡片和信件，艾米窥见了一个人们真心互相关怀的世界。她意识到，任何数量或形式的嘲弄都无法再让她感到孤独。
许多人感谢艾米有勇气说出心声。另一些人则鼓励她无视嘲弄，昂首挺胸。来自德克萨斯州的六年级学生林恩寄来了这样的信息：
"我想成为你的朋友，"她写道，"如果你想来看我，我们可以玩得很开心。没有人会取笑我们，因为如果他们那样做，我们根本不会听。"
艾米确实在南韦恩小学实现了她的愿望，度过了一个没有嘲弄的特殊日子。此外，学校的每个人都得到了另一个收获。老师和学生们一起讨论了嘲弄他人会带来多么糟糕的感受。
那一年，韦恩堡市长正式宣布12月21日为全市的艾米·乔·哈格多恩日。市长解释说，艾米敢于许下如此简单的愿望，教会了人们一个普世的道理。
"每个人，"市长说，"都希望并且理应得到尊重、尊严和温暖的对待。"