Sarah Gray: How my son's short life made a lasting difference
莎拉.格雷: 我兒短暫的一生怎樣為人帶來永遠的影響
Sarah Gray found meaning in tragic loss by donating the organs of her newborn son to advance scientific research. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
went to my second sonogram.
we had a higher risk
the standard birth defects,
that we were about to face.
that one of our twins, Thomas,
胎兒,也就是湯瑪斯,
called anencephaly.
was not formed correctly
typically die in utero
or days of being born.
as far as the doctor could tell,
how this could have possibly happened,
was not impossible,
for the healthy twin and for me,
健康的胎兒帶來風險
the pregnancy to term.
with two trimesters ahead of me,
還要等待6個月
my blood pressure and my stress.
血壓和情緒
point a loaded gun at you for six months.
用上膛的槍指著我
the barrel of that gun for so long
at the end of the tunnel.
to prevent the tragedy,
for Thomas's brief life
eye and tissue donation.
organ-procurement organization,
Transplant Community.
at birth to donate for transplant,
難以把他的器官移植到其他人
you could be rejected for that.
也會拒絕接受捐贈。
a good candidate to donate for research.
to unlock a medical mystery.
醫學謎團的鎖匙。
and they were both born alive.
the top part of his skull,
like a normal baby,
抓緊我們的手指
National Medical Center.
that the recovery was a success,
恢復成功的通知
would be going to four different places.
to Duke University.
company called Cytonet in Durham.
一所叫Cytonet 細胞治療公司。
to Schepens Eye Research Institute,
to the University of Pennsylvania.
with our immediate family,
closed this chapter in our lives.
已告一段落
what's happening now?
to a grief retreat,
15 other grieving families
organs for transplant.
their loved one's organs,
could even meet each other
I thought maybe I could write a letter
and learn about what happened.
for people who donate for transplant.
I had transplant envy, I guess.
why they requested infant retinas
could visit their lab.
that arranged the donation,
send it to the right person.
never done this before,
and they would deliver it.
of the University of Pennsylvania.
Arupa Ganguly博士
that she is studying retinoblastoma,
under the age of five,
we were invited to visit her lab.
imagine how we felt,
the ultimate sacrifice,
to feel indebted to us.
and the system chose your study.
它選擇了你的研究。
bad things happen to children every day,
be buried in the ground right now.
a new layer of meaning.
about using this tissue."
這些組織而內疚。」
那些組織非常罕有
for this tissue six years earlier
國家疾病交流硏究院
Research Interchange.
that fit her criteria,
符合她的要求
to come visit the lab,
which was the twins' fifth birthday.
那天是雙胞胎的5歲生日。
some pictures of Thomas and Callum,
雙胞胎照片給她
we received this T-shirt in the mail.
郵寄送來的T恤
and I piled in the car
not to feel guilty, that it was a relief,
她不禁舒了一口氣
from our perspective.
had a secret code name.
is called HeLa,
from DC to Philadelphia.
從華盛頓送到費城
is like an heirloom to us now.
成為我們的傳家寶
or a wedding certificate might be.
Thomas's retina and his RNA
湯瑪斯的視網膜和RNA
that causes tumor formation,
that were based on RES 360.
硏究得到的結果
that she still has
when she might get more.
或會有更多收穫。
with a birthday gift.
simple messages today.
don't think about donating to research.
捐贈器官作硏究
I think I'm a normal person.
因為我認為自己是個普通人
and I recommend it,
with human tissue
and about the family,
tell them what you're working on,
even more gratifying for you
in arranging one of these visits,
一次這樣的探訪
all four facilities
doing inspiring work.
做令人鼓舞的工作。
is that Thomas got into Harvard,
進了哈佛大學
in order to do their job.
brief and insignificant
而微不足道的生命
everlasting and relevant.
永恆和意義重大
can be as relevant.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sarah Gray - Researchers' dream donatorSarah Gray found meaning in tragic loss by donating the organs of her newborn son to advance scientific research.
Why you should listen
While struggling to cope with the loss of their infant son Thomas, Sarah Gray and her family met the researchers who received his eye, liver and cord blood donations. This journey garnered national and international media attention and brought profound peace to the Gray family.
Gray is the director of marketing and public affairs for the American Association of Tissue Banks and a member of the AATB Donor Family Guidance Document Committee. She is author of a forthcoming memoir from HarperOne, A Life Everlasting: The Extraordinary Story of One Boy's Gift to Medical Science.
Gray holds a BA in Communications from Marquette University and a Masters in Public Communication from American University, where her capstone topic was nondirected kidney donation. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband Ross and children, Callum and Jocelyn.
Sarah Gray | Speaker | TED.com