2014年的某一天早上打開公司郵箱，突然看到一封信，一個極聰明、熱情，親自合成出多個抗癌新藥的有機化學家朋友，剛40多歲，兩年前發現並治療過的早期腸癌轉移了，現在被診斷為腸癌晚期。真是造化弄人。
我翻譯這封信給大家看，因為它讓我看到一個無限樂觀、積極並專注的科學家的光輝，也再次提醒自己為什麼選擇了癌症生物學這個艱難的領域來消耗自己的青春。開發抗癌藥物的路途是無比曲折的，但是身邊不少被癌症影響的親人朋友不斷鞭策著自己勇敢向前。隨時問問自己：「我是不是還不夠努力？」與所有癌症生物學科研人員共勉。
Subject：A New Chapter in the Fight & Still Celebrating Life
郵件標題：對抗癌症，慶祝生命的新篇章
Hi Everyone，
Well… This wasn't an e-mail I ever wanted to write – and I certainly did not plan to write to you all so soon after my last celebration e-mail！
大家好，我本來永遠也沒想過要寫這封信的，至少我沒想到在剛給大家發了慶祝郵件後馬上又寫這樣這封信。（他剛給朋友發信說他癌症診斷已經過去兩年了，沒有復發，生活很幸福）
I just received the results from my latest PET-CT scan．My colon cancer has returned & I have been diagnosed Stage Ⅳ，with recurrence in both my lymph nodes as well as in my lungs．On one hand the diagnosis feels like an absurd surprise to me because I feel 100％ healthy but on the other hand，since they have been watching those enlarged nodes since last August，I've had 10 months of mental preparation for this possibility.
我剛剛拿到我最新的PET-CT掃瞄結果：我的直腸癌不幸復發了。而且因為癌症已經轉移到了我的淋巴和肺部，我這次被診斷為4級晚期直腸癌。一方面，我覺得這個結果無比荒謬，因為我感覺自己是百分之百地健康。另一方面，因為醫生從去年8月就發現我的淋巴結腫大，於是開始了各種檢測，所以理論上我已經有了10個月的時間來準備迎接這個壞消息。
The day I got my first PET-scan results last September showing「possible cancer」I immediately jumped out the door and ran my first ever half-marathon．9 months later，when I got my PET-scan results confirming I am now Stage Ⅳ，I immediately ran out the door and ran my second ever half-marathon！Even after 14 miles，I never lost my breath – not too shabby for a guy with a couple of lung tumors huh？：）
去年9月我第一次拿到PET-CT掃瞄結果，顯示我「癌症可能復發了」的那天，我忍不住馬上衝出門去跑了我人生的第一次半程馬拉松。9個月以後，我再次拿到CT掃瞄結果，證實我確實得了4級晚期癌症後，我又馬上衝出門去跑了我人生第二次半程馬拉松。即使跑完超過22公里以後，我也完全沒有覺得喘不上氣，這對一個癌症晚期患者來說還不錯吧：）
Final medical plans haven't been decided yet but it looks likely that I will begin a pretty harsh chemo regimen in July after I get back from a much needed Michigan Family vacation．The great news is that it seems like my tumors are very slow growing，so if they respond to the chemo – between that & my overall great health，my doc thinks I could very well be a long term survivor in terms of prognosis – so no freaking out allowed J．That would be an incredible blessing — not only a lot more fun time with my two daughters in their childhood but also a lot more time for science to discover that CRC immunotherapycurewhich many very smart scientists are working very hard on that right now！！I am an eternal optimist when it comes to science！I also find Faith in the stage Ⅳ CRC patients （some of which I met directly） who have enjoyed miracle very long term complete remissions/cures – if it can happen to them，I see no reason to assume it can't happen to me！I remain very optimistic！
我最終的治療方案還沒有確定，但是看起來我夏天和家人休假回來後就會開始接受高劑量的化療。好消息是我的腫瘤長得非常慢，所以很可能化療的效果會不錯。這個因素加上我自己良好的身體狀況，醫生覺得我很可能會活很長的時間，所以請朋友們也不要太驚慌。如果真是那樣，對我來說真是上天的恩賜，讓我不僅能和我的兩個女兒分享她們快樂的童年，而且還讓我有更多的時間，和很多非常聰明、非常努力的科學家一起，來研究更好的能治癒直腸癌的免疫類藥物。對於科學研究，我是個強烈的樂觀主義者。我的樂觀不僅來自我的專業知識，也來自於和很多直腸癌晚期患者的交流，看到他們不少人都活了很長時間，甚至有人癌症最後消失不見了！如果這種奇跡能發生在他們身上，那也可能發生在我身上！總之我是非常樂觀的！
In addition to standard chemo I am actively researching clinical trials．Multiple tumor types have had incredible medical advances in the past few years – I believe firmly that they will eventually find tricks that work for colon cancer as well．For those of you in oncology/medical research – please send me a heads-up anytime you hear anything promising in clinical trials for CRC！I hope I inspire you to focus your research on CRC （hint hint J）．I'll also be continuing all my complimentary therapies – I do believe they are a part of why I feel so great & why the tumors are growing so slowing，so slowly it took 10 months to diagnose them even with constant scans.
除去標準的化療以外，我也在積極尋找新的臨床實驗藥品。過去幾年，針對多種癌症都有很多有效的新藥出現。我相信對直腸癌也會有更好的藥物。如果你是在做抗癌藥物研究或者是腫瘤科的醫生，聽到任何新的有希望的治療直腸癌的臨床實驗，請務必告訴我。我希望這封信能讓更多人專注研究直腸癌。我會繼續接受常規治療，因為我相信過去的常規治療讓我身體保持得很好，並且腫瘤長得很慢。慢到我的腫瘤要花10個月才能被CT確診。
I remain incredibly Faithful and believe one way or another everything will work out OK – my new diagnosis hasn't shaken that a bit．My goal is to be here for my kids as long as possible （ideally for decades！），using my cancer to show them to never give up Hope （both spiritually and in terms of medical advances！），to never stop fighting for what's important and show them to never be bitter by what life throws your way．I want them to learn the same lesson my parents pummeled into me as a kid – instead of focusing on disappointing news，instead focus on all the incredibly good things we have been blessed to enjoy．For example – I already had Stage Ⅳ cancer （w/o knowing it） at Amelie & my Father-Daughter School Dance last Fall – the cancer did not take away the fact we had an awesome night together neither one of us will ever forget！With Eleni – we called her the miracle baby because hers was a very rough pregnancy in multiple ways – I had metastatic cancer the day she was born （w/o knowing it） how can I be bitter when I have had the joy of her in my life？Eleni never gave up fighting to stay alive under tough medical odds & neither will I now！
我依然保持著極度堅定的信念：無論發生了什麼，一切都會好的！癌症復發的診斷並沒有動搖我的這個信念：我的目標是盡量久地陪著我的孩子們，我希望能陪幾十年！我要用我和癌症鬥爭的故事向他們詮釋永遠不要放棄希望，包括精神上的堅定，和對醫學進步的信念。不放棄努力，不因為生命中的困苦而失去樂觀精神。我想讓她們學到我的父母在我小時候教給我的道理：不要總是想著那些讓人沮喪的消息，而要把注意力放在那些無比美好，值得感激的事物上舉個例子——去年我和大女兒在學校和她一起跳「父親和女兒」的舞蹈時我其實已經得了4級晚期癌症 ，但我當時並不知道，癌症本身並沒能阻止我們在一起度過了那個美好的難以忘記的夜晚。小女兒是一個奇跡寶寶，因為她媽媽在懷她的時候出了各種狀況，險象環生。在她出生的時候我的癌症事實上已經轉移了，但我當時並不知道。小女兒給我的生命帶來了無限的快樂，我有什麼要難過的呢？她從來沒有放棄抗爭，奇跡般地活了下來。我今天也不會！
There is an anecdote of a young daughter asking her Dad what he planned to do after they found out he had Stage IV cancer．His reply：I plan on reading you your bedtime book tonight and waking up tomorrow morning like I always do！Life in all its fun goes on.
我想給大家講一個小故事：有一個小女孩問她的爸爸，當他知道自己得了4級晚期癌症後打算做些什麼。她爸爸的回答是：我打算和往常一樣，在今晚你睡覺前給你讀一個故事，然後明天早上和往常一樣醒來！無論發生什麼，生活依然要繼續，並且要充滿樂趣。
I don't plan on giving any more regular updates by mass e-mail but please do feel free to contact me anytime & ask anything you want – I seriously love hearing from people！Also feel free to forward this e-mail，I know I have accidently missed people that have been very supportive the past 2 years.
我不打算以後用群發郵件的方式給大家更新我的狀況。但是歡迎大家任何時候跟我聯繫，想問我什麼都行——我是真的很高興收到你們的信！也歡迎大家轉發這封郵件，我可能不小心漏掉了一些在過去兩年中非常支持我的朋友。
I wanted to close again with the picture of me，Amelie & Eleni taken on our June 4th celebration of life．We're going to fight to keep on celebrating life together for a long more time．And I am still celebrating being a Cancer Survivor – being one starts the minute you first hear your diagnosis！
我想在最後給大家看看我和我的女兒們在6月4號拍的慶祝照片。我們將相守在一起，在未來很長時間裡和癌症病魔鬥爭，並且一直感恩。同時我會每一天都繼續慶祝我是癌症倖存者——這從兩年多前，我聽到得了癌症的消息那一刻就開始了。
Thank you all （friends，family，Church，colleagues） for the incredible support and prayers I & my family have gotten over the past 2 years！I also couldn't have survived these challenges with a smile on my face without my incredible wife！
謝謝大家（朋友、家人、教友、同事），感謝你們在過去的兩年對我和我家人無限的支持和祈禱。我想特別感謝我的妻子，沒有她，我不可能一直微笑面對生命中的這麼多挑戰。