In March 2022, I was recovering from an operation for breast cancer and going through a terrible time. I spent my days at home ________ everything to myself. Then one of my colleagues suggested ________, “Why don’t you pick a couple of days and go to Ireland and escape?” I ________ the tip.

The trip was fun, but when I got on the ________ to go home, I wasn’t feeling well. My plan was to sleep for the ________ journey, but the guy next to me looked ________, eager for a conversation because he had kind eyes.

“I had an operation,” I said ________. “I had breast cancer.” He paused for a moment and said, “What’s wrong with that? Breast cancer is just a small ________ of your life, like going to college or getting married.”

I could feel my eyes ________ up with tears.

“Don’t think too much of your problem,” he said. “Instead, think about how many people you could help.”

I had tears coming down my face, and said, “I can’t ________ I’m crying in front of you. I don’t ________ know you.”

“Look, you have a ________ in life,” he said. “You can either ________ your things deep in your pockets and take them to your grave (坟墓), or you can help someone.”

I’ve not been a very outgoing person, and except the few people who needed to know, I’d kept my illness ________. I didn’t want to be ________ as a defective (有缺陷的) person.

But this man, whose name was Ken Duane, showed me that my illness gave me ________, because it gave me the ability to ________ someone else’s load. I decided at that moment that I was going to try to help others by sharing my story ________, in the hope of inspiring those who were in the same or similar situation. Later that year, I talked about my illness and my ________ with Ken on air.

I am forever ________ that I never took a nap on the flight over the Atlantic.

I still remember the first day of high school. As a freshman, I was both excited and ________. I didn’t know anyone, and I wasn’t sure how I would ________. But little did I know, my high school experience would end up being one of the most transformative times in my life.

One of the biggest challenges I faced in high school was ________management. I was involved in several extra-curricular ________including the debate team and student government, and I found it difficult to ________my schoolwork with my other commitments. However, over time, I learned how to prioritize and manage my time effectively. I discovered that by setting clear goals and creating a _______I could accomplish everything I wanted to without making a mess of my school life.

Another important lesson I learned in high school was the ________of hard work. I had always been a good student, but in high school, I was challenged to ________myself even further and strive for ________in everything I did. Whether it was a difficult math problem or a challenging essay, I learned to ________the struggle and persevere through difficult tasks. This ________and way of work would serve me well in college and beyond.

High school was also a time of ________growth for me. I made new friends, ________my interests, and discovered who I was as a person. I was ________to new ideas and perspectives through my classes and extra-curricular activities, and these experiences helped shape my  ________and values.

Sixteen-year-old Brennon had recovered from so many trips to the hospital that his mother, Megan, thought this would be just one more trip. Since birth, Brennon had been _______ from hydrocephalus(脑积水). Whenever there was a _______ of a headache, the family would head to the hospital, have the fluid released, and go home. _______ this time, that didn’t happen.

On arrival at the hospital, Brennon’s pain was extreme. A CT scan _______ that his brain had turned black. In the next week, Brennon’s _______ continued to worsen. _______, his brain activity stopped.

Then, a miracle happened _______ a process that saves organs for transplant(移植) after the heart stops beating. Brennon saved four _______ with his liver, kidneys and heart.

Brennon wanted to _______ a career as a doctor. Instead, he was able to save lives as an organ donor. He also improved many more lives through the __________ of his tissues. “Brennon was a giving kid,” Megan said. “I knew the donations were what he would have __________.”

While the __________ of Brennon is still upsetting for his family, Megan has been __________ by how many friends have reached out to tell her what a __________ person he was.

Shortly after Brennon’s death and donations, his high school English teacher __________ Megan. She’d been __________ papers and found something Brennon wrote when he was 14 on the subject “your favorite human quality”. Brennon completed the assignment with some simple and beautiful __________: “Selflessness. Caring about others is __________. Caring for other people is what helps us survive.”

Today, many people are surviving and thriving—thanks to Brennon’s __________ and his family’s generosity. His legacy(遗产) of __________ lives on.