CUÖNË SACÁ H NAYÂ ÀÛÚCÅ XUÊTË BANÃ THEO HÚPÅ ÀÖNÌ G CHUYÏNÍ GIAO BANÃ QUYÏNÌ ÀÖCÅ QUYÏNÌ TIÏNË G VIÏTÅ TRÏN TOANÂ THÏ Ë GIÚIÁ GIÛAÄ TACÁ GIA Ã JACK CANFIELD & MARK VICTOR HANSEN - TÊÅ P ÀOAÂ N XUÊË T BAÃ N HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS INC., HOA KYÂ VAÂ CÖNG TY FIRST NEWS - TRÑ VIÏÅT, VIÏÅT NAM. on TOUGH STUFF TEENAGE THỬ THÁCH Vượt qua Đầu đời
on TOUGH STUFF TEENAGE Phạm Thắng - Vi Thảo Nguyên dịch Tái bản lần thứ 7
Memories of my mother In January of 1998, I got the kind of call all actresses hope for: I had won the role of Julie Emrick on a new TV drama called Felicity. It should have been one of the most exciting moments of my life, but three months earlier something had happened that would disorder all. In October 1997, my mom, Christine Johnson, was diagnosed with cancer. Ten months later, she died at age fifty-three, and my life would never be the same. My mom was my best friend. She taught me to appreciate every day. I think that is the key to life. I try to keep remembering that, and to make it a habit. And when I meet with difficulties, I just think about her. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 14
Höìi ûác vïì meåå Thaáng Giïng nùm 1998, töi nhêån àûúåc möåt cuöåc àiïån thoaåi maâ bêët kyâ möåt nûä diïîn viïn naâo cuäng mong àúåi: töi àûúåc thuã vai Julie Emrick trong vúã kõch truyïìn hònh Haånh phuác. Leä ra àoá laâ möåt trong nhûäng khoaãnh khùæc hên hoan nhêët trong cuöåc àúâi cuãa töi, nhûng ba thaáng trûúác àoá, möåt viïåc àaä xaãy àïën khiïën cho moåi thûá àïìu bõ àaão löån. Thaáng Mûúâi nùm 1997, meå töi, Christine Johnson, àûúåc chêín àoaán bõ mùæc bïånh ung thû. Mûúâi thaáng sau, meå mêët úã tuöíi nùm mûúi ba, vaâ cuöåc söëng cuãa töi khöng bao giúâ trúã laåi nhû xûa àûúåc nûäa. Meå laâ ngûúâi baån töët nhêët cuãa töi. Meå daåy töi biïët trên troång tûâng ngaây. Töi nghô àoá chñnh laâ chòa khoáa àïí bûúác vaâo cuöåc söëng. Töi cöë gùæng ghi nhúá àiïìu àoá, röìi chuyïín noá thaânh möåt thoái quen. Vaâ möîi khi gùåp phaãi möåt vûúáng mùæc gò, töi laåi nghô àïën meå. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 15
I was like her sidekick growing up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. My brother, Greig Jr., now thirty-three, and my sister, Julie, now thirty-two, were both older than me (I’m twenty-nine), so when they started school, it was just me and my mom together all day, running errands or just hanging out. We even remained close through my rebellious period. In high school, I was staying out too late, doing the normal teenage stuff, so my parents sent me to a private school in New Hampshire. I got kicked out after eight months for getting caught in the boys’ dorm. Oops! My punishment was having to go to a small local church school. When I did something wrong, if I tried to deny it or hide it, my mom would get angry. But if I admitted and apologized, she’d be totally cool. She was really fair. She was also super-supportive. Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to perform. She was always my biggest fan. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 16
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 17 Töi giöë ng nhû ngûúâ i baå n tri kyã lúá n lïn cuâ ng meå úã Muä i Cod, Massachusetts. Vò caã anh Greig Jr. - hiïå n àaä ba mûúi ba tuöí i, vaâ chõ Julie cuã a töi - giúâ cuä ng ba mûúi hai tuöí i, àïì u lúá n tuöí i hún töi (hiïå n nay töi hai mûúi chñn tuöí i), nïn luá c anh chõ bùæ t àêì u ài hoå c thò chó coâ n töi vúá i meå úã nhaâ vúá i nhau suöë t ngaâ y. Nhûä ng luá c êë y, hai meå con cuâ ng laâ m caá c cöng viïå c lùå t vùå t hoùå c chó ài loanh quanh. Töi vúái meå vêîn luön gùæn boá vúái nhau ngay caã khi töi phaãi traãi qua giai àoaån nöíi loaån cuãa tuöíi dêåy thò. Luác hoåc trung hoåc, töi thûúâng vïì nhaâ trïî do maãi lo mêëy chuyïån vúá vêín cuãa tuöíi múái lúán, thïë laâ böë meå gûãi töi vaâo möåt trûúâng dên lêåp úã New Hampshire. Chó sau taám thaáng, töi bõ àuöíi khoãi trûúâng do bõ bùæt gùåp trong phoâng nguã têåp thïí cuãa boån con trai. Öi! Hònh phaåt cho töi laâ töi phaãi túái hoåc taåi möåt ngöi trûúâng nhoã trong möåt nhaâ thúâ úã àõa phûúng. Möîi khi laâm sai àiïìu gò maâ töi laåi ra sûác chöëi hoùåc che giêëu thò meå seä nöíi giêån. Nhûng nïëu töi biïët nhêån löîi vaâ xin löîi meå thò meå seä dõu laåi. Meå thûåc sûå rêët cöng bùçng. Meå coân laâ möåt cöí àöång viïn tuyïåt vúâi. Ngay tûâ khi coân beá, töi àaä biïët mònh rêët thñch biïíu diïîn, vaâ meå luön laâ cöí àöång viïn nhiïåt tònh nhêët cuãa töi.
When I decided to move to New York City at nineteen to pursue an acting career, my mom and my dad, Greig Johnson, a car salesman, never said, “That’s risky,” or, “Don’t do that.” Two years later, in 1993, I moved to Los Angeles and got my first TV role as Kimberly. Everything was going smoothly until the fall of 1997. My mom’s doctors thought she had cysts on her uterus that had grown and needed to be removed. But what should have been a simple hysterectomy turned into something far worse. Mom already kind of suspected. A couple of days before her surgery, she called me up really frightened and said, “Amy Jo, what if I have cancer?” and I was like, “Mom, you can’t say that. No. No. No.” So she went in for the operation. They didn’t expect to find cancer, but it was everywhere. A rare type of cancer, it had started in her appendix, and by the time the doctors found it, it had spread all over her body. I’ll never forget the moment when my dad called and told me the news. It was Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 18
Nùm mûúâi chñn tuöíi, khi töi quyïët àõnh àïën thaânh phöë New York àïí theo àuöíi nghïì diïîn viïn thò meå vaâ caã böë töi - Greig Johnson, luác àoá laâ möåt ngûúâi baán xe húi, àaä khöng hïì noái: “Thêåt maåo hiïím” hay “Àûâng laâm thïë”. Hai nùm sau, nùm 1993, töi laåi chuyïín àïën Los Angeles vaâ nhêån vai diïîn àêìu tiïn laâ nhên vêåt Kimberly. Moåi chuyïån diïîn ra suön seã cho àïën muâa Thu nùm 1997. Baác sô nghô rùçng trong tûã cung cuãa meå coá möåt u nang àaä phaát triïín lúán vaâ cêìn phaãi àûúåc cùæt boã. Nhûng chuyïån gò seä xaãy ra nïëu thuã thuêåt cùæt boã tûã cung àún giaãn àoá laåi trúã thaânh möåt àiïìu gò àoá tïå haåi hún? Meå coá veã nghi ngúâ vïì àiïìu naây. Trûúác ca phêîu thuêåt vaâi ngaây, meå goåi cho töi trong möåt têm traång lo súå: “Amy Jo naây, àiïìu gò seä xaãy ra nïëu meå bõ ung thû nhó?”, vaâ töi cuäng coá têm traång nhû meå: “Meå, meå àûâng noái thïë. Àûâng maâ”. Röìi cuäng àïën luác phaãi phêîu thuêåt. Moåi ngûúâi àïìu khöng nghô rùçng meå bõ ung thû, nhûng caác tïë baâo ung thû laåi xuêët hiïån úã khùæp núi trong cú thïí meå. Möåt daång ung thû hiïëm thêëy, noá bùæt àêìu tûâ ruöåt thûâa, cho àïën luác baác sô phaát hiïån ra thò noá àaä lan röång ra khùæp cú thïí cuãa meå. Töi seä khöng bao giúâ quïn àûúåc giêy phuát khi böë goåi àiïån àïí baáo tin êëy cho töi biïët. Àoá laâ Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 19
Halloween. In shock, I flew back to be with my family. I remember sitting up one night with my dad, probably two days after we found out. He told me he knew she was going to die. I was like, “No, we’ve got to have hope.” My mom handled the news - and her terminal prognosis - with incredible bravery. That Christmas, which she knew would probably be her last, she bought us all tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway in New York. It was really emotional because the story is about the circle of life and dying and coming back again. I looked over at my mom during the scene where Simba sees his father’s ghost. She had tears in her eyes. But she never broke down in front of any of us kids or her friends. I think my dad’s the only one who saw how frightened she must have been. My mom tried different therapies. She also went to a hospital in Washington, D.C., for a surgery the doctors hoped might give her more time. My sister and I slept on little cots in her hospital room. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 20
ngaây lïî Halloween. Töi àaáp maáy bay ngay vïì cuâng gia àònh trong têm traång choaáng vaáng. Töi nhúá caái àïm töi àaä ngöìi cuâng böë, hònh nhû laâ hai ngaây sau khi biïët tin. Böë noái laâ böë biïët meå seä chïët. Töi cuäng thïë, nhûng töi noái: “Khöng àêu böë aå, chuáng ta phaãi luön hy voång”. Meå àoán nhêån tin naây cuâng caái chïët àûúåc baáo trûúác bùçng möåt sûå can àaãm laå thûúâng. Giaáng sinh nùm àoá, meå cuäng biïët àêëy coá leä laâ muâa Giaáng sinh cuöëi cuâng cuãa meå, nïn meå àaä mua veá vaâ àûa têë t caã chuá ng töi ài xem vúã kõch àûúåc chuyïín thïí tûâ böå phim Vua sû tûã taåi raåp Broadway úã New York. Vúã kõch thêåt xuác àöång vò àoá laâ cêu chuyïån noái vïì voâng luên höìi sinh tûã vö têån. Khi túái caãnh Simba tröng thêëy höìn cuãa sû tûã cha, töi quay sang nhòn meå. Meå khoác. Nhûng chûa bao giúâ meå toã ra suy suåp trûúác mùåt caác con hay trûúác baån beâ. Töi nghô chó coá böë múái biïët àûúåc meå àang súå haäi àïën dûúâng naâo. Meå àaä thûã nhiïì u biïå n phaá p trõ liïå u khaá c nhau. Meå coâ n túá i möå t bïå nh viïå n úã Washington, D.C. àïí thûå c hiïå n möå t ca phêî u thuêå t maâ caá c baá c sô hy voå ng laâ seä keá o daâ i thïm thúâ i gian söë ng cho meå . Nhûä ng ngaâ y êë y, chõ töi vaâ töi àaä nguã trïn nhûä ng caá i giûúâ ng nhoã kï trong phoâ ng bïå nh cuã a meå . Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 21
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 190 MUÅC LUÅC Introduction 6 Lúâi giúái thiïåu 7 Memories of my mother 14 Höìi ûác vïì meåå 15 “Dusting off!” 28 “Phuãi buåi ài!” 29 Phoenix rising 48 Phûúång hoaâng bay cao 49 A gift of spirit 64 Quaâ tùång têm höìn 65 The man my father was 82 Cha töi 83 Losing myself 92 Àaánh mêët chñnh mònh 93
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff 191 Reaching Mom 104 Con àaä chaåm àûúåc vaâo meå 105 I am Loni 120 Töi laâ Loni 121 Hitting bottom 138 Laâm laåi tûâ àêìu 139 Table for three 152 Baân daânh cho ba ngûúâi 153 A house is not a home 164 Trúã laåi maái êëm 165 Vïì taác giaã vaâ sûå ra àúâi cuãa Chicken Soup for the Soul 182
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