ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ed Gavagan - Designer, Storyteller
Ed Gavagan was walking down the street in downtown Manhattan when he was the victim of a gang assignment to kill a random stranger. He lives to tell the amazing story.

Why you should listen

Ed Gavagan is the owner of PraxisNYC, a design firm specializing in boutique residences and aimed at designing for sustainability, habitability, durability and beauty. In 2007 Gavagan told the story “Drowning on Sullivan Street” at the Moth, the series devoted to stories told live without notes, about his near-death experience on the streets of New York as the victim of a gang initiation rite. His stories have been heard on NPR and the Moth podcast, and he has appeared onstage with the Moth in events across the U.S. Gavagan lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

More profile about the speaker
Ed Gavagan | Speaker | TED.com

TEDMED 2012

Ed Gavagan: A story about knots and surgeons

Ed Gavagen (Ed Gavagan): Priča o čvorovima i hirurzima

Filmed: 2012-04-11

Readability: 3.3

1,054,849 views

Jednog dana, Ed Gavagen je sedeo u podzemnoj železnici, gledao svoje maldih studenata medicine kako vežbaju ušivanje. I nadošla su mu sećanja - šokantnog trenutka kada mu se život zauvek promenio. Nezaboravna priča o zločinu, veštini i zahvalnosti.

Ed Gavagan - Designer, Storyteller
Ed Gavagan was walking down the street in downtown Manhattan when he was the victim of a gang assignment to kill a random stranger. He lives to tell the amazing story. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:19

You know, we wakeпробудити up in the morningјутро,

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Znate, budimo se svakog jutra,

00:22

you get dressedобучен, put on your shoesципеле,

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obučete se, obujete,

00:25

you headглава out into the worldсвет.

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krenete među svet.

00:27

You planплан on comingдолазе back, gettingдобијања undressedsvukao,

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Nameravate da se vratite, svučete,

00:31

going to bedкревет,

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odete u krevet,

00:34

wakingBudi up, doing it again,

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budite se, opet sve iznova,

00:35

and that anticipationiscekivanje, that rhythmритам,

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i to očekivanje, taj ritam

00:38

helpsпомаже give us a structureструктура

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nam pomažu da imamo strukturu

00:41

to how we organizeорганизовати ourselvesсами and our livesживи,

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da organizujemo sebe i sopstvene živote

00:44

and givesдаје it a measureмеру of predictabilityпредвидљивост.

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i unesemo dozu predvidljivosti.

00:48

LivingŽive in NewNovi YorkYork CityGrad, as I do,

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Živeti u Njujorku, poput mene,

00:50

it's almostскоро as if, with so manyмноги people doing so manyмноги things

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uz toliko ljudi
koji istovremeno obavljaju razne stvari

00:57

at the sameисти time in suchтаква closeБлизу quartersчетврти,

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u isto vreme
u tako malom prostoru,

01:01

it's almostскоро like life is dealingбављење you extraекстра handsруке

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to je kao da vam život postavlja

01:04

out of that deckпалуба.

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dodatne prepreke.

01:06

You're never, there's just, juxtapositionsjuxtapositions are possibleмогуће

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Moguća su povezivanja

01:10

that just aren'tнису, you don't think they're going to happenдесити се.

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za koja vi mislite
da ne mogu da se ostvare.

01:15

And you never think you're going to be the guy

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I nikada ne mislite da ćete
baš vi biti ti

01:18

who'sко је walkingХодање down the streetулица

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koji će da šetaju ulicom

01:19

and, because you chooseизаберите to go down one sideстрана or the other,

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i samo zato što odlučite da idete
jednom ili drugim stranom ulice,

01:23

the restодмор of your life is changedпромењено foreverзаувек.

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ostatak vašeg života
se menja zauvek.

01:26

And one night, I'm ridingјахање the uptownu gornjem delu grada localлокално trainвоз.

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Tako jedne večeri, vozim se
lokalnim vozom za gornji deo grada.

01:31

I get on. I tendтенденција to be a little bitмало vigilantna oprezu

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Uđem u voz.
Pokušavam da budem obazriviji

01:35

when I get on the subwayМетро.

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kad ulazim u podzemnu železnicu.

01:37

I'm not one of the people zoningзонирање out with headphonesslušalice

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Nisam od onih koji su odsutni uz slušalice

01:40

or a bookкњига.

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ili knjigu.

01:42

And I get on the carауто, and I look, and I

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Uđem unutra i gledam,

01:44

noticeобјава this coupleпар,

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i primetim taj par,

01:47

college-agedfakultet uzrasta, student-lookingstudent u potrazi kidsклинци,

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decu koja su, rekao bih, studenti,

01:50

a guy and a girlдевојка, and they're sittingседење nextследећи to eachсваки other,

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momak i devojka,
sede jedno pored drugog,

01:52

and she's got her legnoga drapedpokriven over his kneeколено,

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njena noga preko njegovog kolena,

01:55

and they're doing -- they have this little contraptionконтраптион,

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i prave - imaju tu malu čudnu spravu

01:59

and they're tyingvezivanje these knotskm/h,

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i vezuju čvorove,

02:01

and they're doing it with one handруку,

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rade jednom rukom,

02:03

they're doing it left-handedлеворук and right-handedдешњак very quicklyбрзо,

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desnom i levom rukom veoma brzo

02:07

and then she'llшкољка handруку the thing to him and he'llон ће do it.

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zatim mu ona to dodaje i on to radi.

02:09

I've never seenвиђено anything like this.

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Nikada nisam video nešto slično.

02:10

It's almostскоро like they're practicingвежбати magicмагија tricksтрикови.

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Čini se kao da uvežbavaju
magične trikove.

02:13

And at the nextследећи stop, a guy getsдобива on the carауто,

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I na sledećoj stanici,
neki čovek ulazi u vagon,

02:18

and he has this sortврста of visitingпосетити professorпрофесор look to him.

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koji izgleda poput nekog profesora.

02:22

He's got the overstuffedPrepunjeni leatherкожа satcheltorbu

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Ima pretrpanu kožnu torbu,

02:24

and the rectangularPravougaoni fileфиле caseслучај and a laptopлап топ bagторба

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pravougaonu fasciklu i torbu za laptop

02:27

and the tweedTvid jacketјакна with the leatherкожа patchesзакрпе,

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i jaknu od tvida s kožnim zakrpama

02:30

and — (LaughterSmeh) —

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i - (Smeh) -

02:32

he looksизглед at them, and then

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pogleda ih,

02:34

in a blinkБлинк of an eyeоко, he kneelsklanja down in frontфронт of them,

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i u tren oka kleči ispred njih

02:37

and he startsпочиње to say,

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i govori im:

02:39

"You know, listen, here'sево how you can do it. Look,

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"Znate, slušajte,
možete ovako da uradite.

02:41

if you do this -- " and he takes the lacesvezice out of theirњихова handруку,

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Pogledajte, ako uradite ovo -"
i uzima im vezicu iz ruku

02:44

and instantlyодмах, he startsпочиње tyingvezivanje these knotskm/h,

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i istog trenutka počinje da veže čvorove

02:47

and even better than they were doing it, remarkablyизванредно.

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čak bolje nego što su oni to radili,
izvanredno.

02:52

And it turnsокреће се out they are medicalмедицински studentsстуденти

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I ispostavi se da su to studenti medicine

02:55

on theirњихова way to a lectureпредавање about the latestнајновије

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koji su upravo krenuli
na predavanje o najnovijim

02:57

suturinggranica tvoje ambicije techniquesтехнике, and he's the guy givingдавање the lectureпредавање.

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tehnikama ušivanja,
a on je upravo taj predavač.

03:00

(LaughterSmeh)

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(Smeh)

03:02

So he startsпочиње to tell them, and he's like,

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Dakle, počinje da im govori u stilu,

03:04

"No, this is very importantважно here. You know,

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"Ne, ovo ovde je veoma važno. Znate,

03:07

when you're needingпотреба these knotskm/h,

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kad su vam potrebni čvorovi,

03:09

it's going to be, you know, everything'sсвака ствари

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biće, znate, sve će da se

03:11

going to be happeningдогађај at the sameисти time, it's going to be --

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dešava istovremeno -

03:14

you're going to have all this informationинформације comingдолазе at you,

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bićete zasuti s mnogo informacija,

03:18

there's going to be organsorgani gettingдобијања in the way,

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smetaće vam organi,

03:19

it's going to be slipperyклизаво,

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biće klizavo

03:21

and

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i

03:23

it's just very importantважно that you be ableу могуцности to do these

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veoma je važno da možete tada
da ovo uradite bez obzira na sve,

03:26

beyondизван secondдруго natureприрода, eachсваки handруку, left handруку, right handруку,

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s obe ruke, levom rukom, desnom rukom,

03:29

you have to be ableу могуцности to do them withoutбез seeingвиди your fingersпрстима."

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morate to da uradite
bez gledanja u svoje prste."

03:32

And at that momentтренутак, when I heardслушао that,

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I u tom trenutku, kad sam to čuo,

03:34

I just got catapulteduzdigla out of the subwayМетро carауто into a night

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odjednom sam se zamislio
van podzemne železnice, negde u noći,

03:41

when I had been gettingдобијања a rideвози in an ambulanceхитна помоћ

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kad su me vozili u ambulantnim kolima,

03:44

from the sidewalkтротоар where I had been stabbedizbo

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pokupivši me sa trotoara
gde sam bio izboden,

03:49

to the traumatraume roomсоба of StSt. Vincent'sVinsent je HospitalBolnica in ManhattanManhattan,

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i voze me u salu bolnice
Svetog Vinsenta na Menhetnu.

03:53

and what had happenedдесило was

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Desilo se da se pojavila

03:55

a gangбанда had come in from BrooklynBrooklyn.

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banda iz Bruklina.

03:58

As partдео of an initiationиницијација for threeтри of theirњихова membersчланови,

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Čin inicijacije za trojicu članova bande

04:01

they had to killубиј somebodyнеко,

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bio je da nekog ubiju,

04:03

and I happenedдесило to be the guy walkingХодање down BleeckerBliker StreetUlica

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i desilo se da sam ja bio taj
koji je šetao Bliker ulicom

04:06

that night,

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te noći

04:07

and they jumpedскочио on me withoutбез a wordреч.

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i zaskočili su me bez reči.

04:12

One of the very luckyСрећно things,

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Jedna od srećnijih okolnosti je da sam,

04:14

when I was at NotreNotre DameDama, I was on the boxingboks teamтим,

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kada sam bio u Notr Damu,
bio član bokserskog tima,

04:17

so I put my handsруке up right away, instinctivelyинстинктивно.

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pa sam insinktivno istog trena
podigao šake.

04:22

The guy on the right had a knifeнож with a 10-inch-inčni bladeBlade,

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Momak s desna je imao nož
sa 25 cm dugom oštricom,

04:25

and he wentотишао in underиспод my elbowlakat,

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zario ju je ispod mog lakta

04:29

and it wentотишао up and cutрез my inferiorinferiorno venavena cavaKava.

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povukao na gore i presekao mi donju venu
zaduženu za dotok krvi u srce.

04:33

If you know anything about anatomyанатомија,

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Ako znate išta iz anatomije,

04:35

that's not a good thing to get cutрез,

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to nije najbolji izbor za preseći

04:37

and everything, of courseкурс, on the way up,

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i sve na gore, naravno,

04:40

and then — I still had my handsруке up —

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i tada - još uvek su mi ruke bile podignute -

04:42

he pulledвуче it out and wentотишао for my neckврат,

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izvadio ga je i krenuo ka mom vratu,

04:44

and sunk20 што и што што што што што што што што што што што што смо што што што што што што што све што што што Постоји иии { it in up to the hiltdrške in my neckврат,

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i zario do balčaka.

04:48

and I got one straightравно right punchudarac

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Ja sam zamahnuo desnicom

04:51

and knockedударила the middleсредина guy out.

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i srušio srednjeg tipa.

04:53

The other guy was still workingрад on me,

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Drugi momak se još bavio mnome,

04:55

collapsingSkupljanje my other lungплућа,

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udarao drugo plućno krilo.

04:57

and I managedуправља to, by hittingударање that guy, to get a minuteминута.

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Nakon što sam ga udario,
uspeo sam da dobijem minut vremena.

05:03

I ranтрчао down the streetулица and collapsedсрушио се,

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Potrčao sam niz ulicu i srušio se

05:05

and the ambulanceхитна помоћ guys intubatedintubiran me on the sidewalkтротоар

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i bolničari su me intubirali na trotoaru

05:08

and let the traumatraume roomсоба know

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i pozvali salu da jave

05:10

they had an incomingdolazni.

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da stiže pacijent.

05:12

And one of the

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I jedan od

05:15

sideстрана effectsефекте of havingимати majorглавни massiveмасивни bloodкрв lossгубитак

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efekata prilikom gubitka
velike količine krvi

05:19

is you get tunneltunel visionвизија,

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je što imate polusvesna sećanja.

05:21

so I rememberзапамтити beingбиће on the stretchernosila

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Sećam se da sam bio na nosilima

05:23

and havingимати a little nickel-sizednikla veličine coneШишарка of visionвизија,

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i video kao kroz malu kupu,

05:27

and I was movingкретање my headглава around

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pomerao sam glavu.

05:28

and we got to StSt. Vincent'sVinsent je,

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Stigli smo u Sveti Vinsent bolnicu,

05:30

and we're racingтрке down this hallwayходник,

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jurimo niz hodnik,

05:31

and I see the lightsсветла going,

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vidim svetla,

05:33

and it's a peculiarИudno effectефекат of memoriesсећања like that.

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i to je čudan efekat sećanja.

05:40

They don't really go to the usualобично placeместо that memoriesсећања go.

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Ta sećanja nisu gde i ostala.

05:44

They kindкинд of have this vaulttrezor where they're storedskladište in high-defvisoka,

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Kao da imaju sef u kome su pohranjena
u visokoj rezoluciji

05:50

and GeorgeGeorge LucasLukas did all the soundзвук effectsефекте. (LaughterSmeh)

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i Džordž Lukas im je sredio
sve zvučne efekte. (Smeh)

05:54

So sometimesпонекад, rememberingпамћење them, it's like,

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Ponekad, sećajući se toga,

05:59

it's not like any other kindкинд of memoriesсећања.

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kao da nije bilo kakvo sećanje.

06:02

And I get into the traumatraume roomсоба,

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Ulazim u salu,

06:05

and they're waitingчекајући for me, and the lightsсветла are there,

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čekaju me, svetla su upaljena,

06:08

and I'd been ableу могуцности to breatheдиши a little more now,

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mogao sam malo da dišem

06:13

because the bloodкрв has left, had been fillingпуњење up my lungspluća

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jer je krv, koja je ispunjavala
moja pluća, nestala

06:17

and I was havingимати a very hardтешко time breathingдисање,

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i teško sam disao,

06:19

but now it's kindкинд of goneотишла into the stretchernosila.

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a sada kao da je sve ostalo na nosilima.

06:22

And I said, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

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I pitao sam:
"Mogu li nekako da pomognem?"

06:25

and — (LaughterSmeh) —

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i - (Smeh) -

06:27

the nurseмедицинска сестра kindкинд of had a hystericalхистерично laughсмех, and

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sestra se počela malo histerično smejati

06:30

I'm turningокретање my headглава tryingпокушавајући to see everybodyсвима,

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i ja okrećem glavu
pokušavajući da vidim sve,

06:32

and I had this weirdчудан memoryмеморија of beingбиће in collegeколеџ

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i setim se čudnog trenutka
kad sam studirao

06:36

and raisingподизање,

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i skupljao novac

06:39

raisingподизање moneyновац for the floodпоплава victimsжртве of BangladeshBangladeš,

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za žrtve poplave u Bangladešu.

06:43

and then I look over and my anesthesiologistanesteziologa

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Zatim pogledam s druge strane
i moj anesteziolog

06:46

is clampingPogledaj ga the maskмаска on me, and I think,

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stavlja masku na mene i, mislim,

06:47

"He looksизглед BangladeshiJebao," — (LaughterSmeh) —

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"Izgleda kao da je iz Bangladeša",
- (Smeh) -

06:49

and I just have those two factsчињенице, and I just think,

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i samo su mi te dve stvari
bile u glavi, i samo sam mislio

06:53

"This could work somehowнекако." (LaughterSmeh)

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"Ovo bi nekako moglo da uspe."
(Smeh)

06:56

And then I go out, and

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Zatim sam zaspao,

06:59

they work on me for the restодмор of the night,

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rade na meni ostatak noći,

07:00

and I neededпотребно about 40 unitsјединице of bloodкрв to keep me there

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i trebalo im je 40 jedinica krvi za mene

07:05

while they did theirњихова work,

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dok su radili.

07:09

and the surgeonhirurg tookузела out about a thirdтрећи of my intestinescreva,

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Hirurg je izvadio skoro trećinu
mojih creva

07:13

my cecumcecum, organsorgani I didn't know that I had,

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moje slepo crevo,
organe koje nisam ni znao da imam,

07:16

and he laterкасније told me one of the last things he did

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i posle mi je rekao da je,
poslednja stvar koju je uradio

07:19

while he was in there was to removeуклонити my appendixaneks for me,

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dok sam bio otvoren,
otklonio moj crvuljak

07:22

whichкоја I thought was great, you know,

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i smatrao sam da je to odlično, znate,

07:24

just a little tidyuredna thing there at the endкрај. (LaughterSmeh)

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jedna mala uredna stvar na kraju.
(Smeh)

07:27

And I cameДошао to in the morningјутро.

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I došao sam sebi ujutro.

07:32

Out of anestheticanestetik, he had let them know

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Iz anestezije, rekao im je
da ga obaveste jer

07:33

that he wanted to be there, and he had givenдато me

145

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je hteo da bude tamo
i rekao mi je da imam

07:37

about a two percentпроценат chanceшанса of livingживи.

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dva posto šanse da preživim.

07:40

So he was there when I wokeпробудио се up,

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Bio je prisutan kad sam se probudio,

07:42

and it was, wakingBudi up was like

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i bilo je, buđenje je bilo kao

07:44

breakingломљење throughкроз the iceлед into a frozenсмрзнуто lakeјезеро of painбол.

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probijanje leda u zamrznutom jezeru bola.

07:50

It was that envelopingobavijao,

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Bilo je toliko okružujuće

07:52

and there was only one spotместо that didn't hurtболи

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i samo jedna tačka nije bolela,

07:57

worseгоре than anything I'd ever feltосетио,

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gore od svega što sam ikada osećao

07:58

and it was my instepkremena,

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i to je bio moj gornji deo tabana

08:00

and he was holdingдржање the archLuk of my footстопала

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i držao je luk mog stopala

08:03

and rubbingtrljanje the instepkremena with his thumbпалац.

155

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i trljao gornji deo svojim palcem.

08:07

And I lookedпогледао up, and he's like,

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Pogledao sam ga, a on je rekao:

08:10

"Good to see you,"

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"Drago mi je što te vidim",

08:11

and I was tryingпокушавајући to rememberзапамтити what had happenedдесило

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a ja sam pokušavao
da se setim šta se desilo

08:15

and tryingпокушавајући to get my headглава around everything,

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i pokušao sve da shvatim,

08:17

and the painбол was just overwhelmingпреовлађујуће, and he said,

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bol me je nadvladavala i rekao mi je:

08:21

"You know, we didn't cutрез your hairкоса. I thought

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"Znaš, nismo te šišali. Pomislio sam

08:24

you mightМожда have gottenготтен strengthснага from your hairкоса like SamsonSamson,

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da ti snaga dolazi iz kose,
kao kod Samsona,

08:29

and you're going to need all the strengthснага you can get."

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a trebaće ti sva snaga koju imaš."

08:31

And in those daysдана, my hairкоса was down to my waistструк,

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Tih dana, kosa mi je bila do struka,

08:35

I droveвозио a motorcycleмотоцикл, I was unmarriedнеожењен,

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vozio sam motor, nisam bio oženjen.

08:38

I ownedвласништво a barбар, so those were differentразличит timesпута. (LaughterSmeh)

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Imao sam kafić, dakle,
to su bila druga vremena. (Smeh)

08:43

But

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Međutim,

08:46

I had threeтри daysдана of life supportподршка,

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bio sam tri dana na aparatima

08:49

and everybodyсвима was expectingочекујући,

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i svi su očekivali,

08:52

dueдуе to just the massiveмасивни amountизнос of what they had had to do

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s obzirom na masu stvari
koje su morali da urade na meni,

08:57

that I wasn'tније going to make it,

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da neću uspeti.

08:59

so it was threeтри daysдана of

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Dakle, to su bila tri dana kada su čekali

09:01

everybodyсвима was eitherили waitingчекајући for me to dieумрети or poopkaka,

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da ili umrem ili obavim nuždu

09:04

and — (LaughterSmeh) —

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i - (Smeh)

09:05

when I finallyконачно poopedpokakila, then that somehowнекако,

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kada sam konačno obavio nuždu,

09:08

surgicallyhirurški speakingговорећи, that's like you crossedукрштен some good lineлине,

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hirurški rečeno, kao da sam prešao liniju

09:12

and, umHm — (LaughterSmeh) —

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i - (Smeh)

09:13

on that day, the surgeonhirurg cameДошао in

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tog dana je hirurg ušao

09:16

and whippedšlag the sheetлист off of me.

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i strgao pokrivač sa mene.

09:19

He had threeтри or fourчетири friendsпријатељи with him,

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S njim su bila trojica
ili četvorica prijatelja,

09:21

and he does that, and they all look,

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a on je to uradio, oni su pogledali

09:23

and there was no infectionинфекција,

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nije bilo infekcije,

09:25

and they bendбенд over me and they're pokingBode and proddingpodsticaj,

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nagnuli su se preko mene,
pipkaju i gurkaju

09:28

and they're like, "There's no hematomashematomi, blahблах blahблах,

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i kažu: "Nema hematoma, bla, bla,

09:30

look at the colorбоја," and they're talkingпричају amongstмеђу themselvesсами

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pogledaj boju kože",
i pričaju među sobom

09:33

and I'm, like, this restoredvratiti u prethodno stanje automobileаутомобил

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a ja sam kao popravljen automobil,

09:36

that he's just going, "Yeah, I did that." (LaughterSmeh)

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lekar govori: "Da, ja sam uradio to."
(Smeh)

09:39

And it was just,

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To je bilo neverovatno,

09:42

it was amazingНевероватно, because these guys are high-fivingokupiran poslom him

189

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jer su mu čestitali

09:45

over how good I turnedокренуо се out, you know? (LaughterSmeh)

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zbog mog stanja, znate?
(Smeh)

09:47

And it's my zipperpatent, and I've still got the staplesspajalicama in

191

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To je moj rajsferšlus
i još uvek imam konce unutra

09:51

and everything.

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i sve.

09:52

And

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I,

09:54

laterкасније on, when I got out

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kasnije, kad sam izašao,

09:57

and the flashbackszazirem and the

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i sećanja i noćne more

10:02

nightmaresноћне море were givingдавање me a hardтешко time,

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počele,

10:07

I wentотишао back to him

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otišao sam kod njega

10:09

and I was sortврста of askingпитајући him,

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i upitao ga,

10:12

you know, what am I gonna do?

199

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znate, šta da radim?

10:15

And I think, kindкинд of, as a surgeonhirurg, he basicallyу основи said,

200

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I mislim da je, kao hirurg, samo rekao:

10:19

"KidKlinac, I savedСачувана your life.

201

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1726

"Momče, spasao sam ti život.

10:21

Like, now you can do whateverшта год you want, like,

202

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U smislu, sad možeš
da radiš šta hoćeš,

10:24

you gottaМорам get on with that.

203

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moraš da živiš s tim.

10:25

It's like I gaveдала you a newново carауто

204

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1832

Kao da sam ti dao novi auto,

10:27

and you're complainingжаљење about not findingпроналажење parkingпаркинг.

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a ti se žališ kako nema parking mesta.

10:29

Like, just, go out, and, you know, do your bestнајбоље.

206

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3601

Izađi i daj sve od sebe.

10:33

But you're aliveжив. That's what it's about."

207

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Živ si. To je ono što je važno."

10:38

And then I hearчујеш, "Bing-bongDesetu," and the subwayМетро doorsврата

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5781

I onda sam čuo, "Bing- bong"
i vrata podzemne železnice

10:44

are closingзавршни, and my stop is nextследећи, and I look at these kidsклинци,

209

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su se zatvarala i moja stanica je sledeća,
pogledao sam tu decu,

10:50

and I go, I think to myselfЈа сам,

210

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1869

i pomislio,

10:52

"I'm going to liftлифт my shirtкошуља up

211

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"Podići ću majicu

10:53

and showсхов them," — (LaughterSmeh) —

212

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1617

i pokazaću im"
- (Smeh)

10:55

and then I think, "No, this is the NewNovi YorkYork CityGrad subwayМетро,

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2229

i zatim pomislih: "Ne, ovo je
podzemna železnica Njujorka,

10:57

that's going to leadолово to other things." (LaughterSmeh)

214

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3631

to će značiti neke druge stvari."
(Smeh)

11:01

And so I just think, they got theirњихова lectureпредавање to go to.

215

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I samo pomislih, moraju na predavanje.

11:05

I stepкорак off, I'm standingстојећи on the platformплатформа,

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Iskoračio sam, stojim na peronu,

11:09

and I feel my indexиндекс fingerпрст

217

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i osetim svoj kažiprst

11:12

in

218

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kako dodiruje

11:14

the first scarožiljak that I ever got,

219

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moj prvi ožiljak u životu,

11:17

from my umbilicalPupcana cordкабл,

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od moje pupčane vrpce,

11:21

and then around that, is tracedтрацед

221

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i oko toga je

11:24

the last scarožiljak that I got

222

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poslednji ožiljak koji imam

11:26

from my surgeonhirurg,

223

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s operacije

11:29

and I think that, that chanceшанса encounterсусрет

224

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i mislim da me je taj slučajni susret

11:34

with those kidsклинци on the streetулица with theirњихова knivesnoževi

225

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sa tom decom na ulici s noževima,

11:38

led me

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vodio do

11:40

to my surgicalхируршки teamтим,

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mog hirurškog tima,

11:43

and theirњихова trainingобука

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a njihova praksa,

11:48

and theirњихова skillвештина

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veština,

11:50

and, always, a little bitмало of luckсрећа

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i uvek pomalo sreće

11:53

pushedгурнут back againstпротив chaosхаос.

231

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bili su nasuprot haosa.

11:56

Thank you. (ApplauseAplauz)

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Hvala.
(Aplauz)

12:00

(ApplauseAplauz)

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(Aplauz)

12:09

Thank you. Very luckyСрећно to be here. Thank you. (ApplauseAplauz)

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Hvala lepo. Veoma sam srećan
što sam ovde. Hvala vam. (Aplauz)

Translated by Srdjana Sredojevic
Reviewed by Ivana Korom

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ed Gavagan - Designer, Storyteller
Ed Gavagan was walking down the street in downtown Manhattan when he was the victim of a gang assignment to kill a random stranger. He lives to tell the amazing story.

Why you should listen

Ed Gavagan is the owner of PraxisNYC, a design firm specializing in boutique residences and aimed at designing for sustainability, habitability, durability and beauty. In 2007 Gavagan told the story “Drowning on Sullivan Street” at the Moth, the series devoted to stories told live without notes, about his near-death experience on the streets of New York as the victim of a gang initiation rite. His stories have been heard on NPR and the Moth podcast, and he has appeared onstage with the Moth in events across the U.S. Gavagan lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

More profile about the speaker
Ed Gavagan | Speaker | TED.com

THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM

Ed Gavagen (Ed Gavagan): Priča o čvorovima i hirurzima | TED Talk | TED.com