Hope in my arms

Last year I was invited to participate in a carnival for Tuesday’s Child. An organization that helps children with AIDS.

All the children that had _______ at one particular room could paint a square on a piece of cloth. Later the squares would be sewn together to _______ a quilt. The quilt would be _______ to a man who had devoted his life to the _______ and would soon be retiring.

The kids were given paints in bright colors and asked to paint something that would make the quilt _______. As I looked around at all the _______, I saw pink hearts, blue clouds, orange sunrises and red flowers. The pictures were all bright and _______. All except one.

One boy was painting a heart, _______ it was dark and lifeless. It _______ the bright colors that his fellow artists had used.

I asked why. He told me he was very sick and that his __________ was not ever going to get better. He looked straight into my eyes and said. “There is no __________ in my life.” I told him I was __________ and I could understand why he had made his heart a dark color. I told him that even though we couldn’t make him better, we can give __________, which can really help when you are feeling __________. I told him that if he would like, I would be happy to give him one. He crawled into my lap. I thought my own heart would __________ for this sweet little boy. He sat there for a long time. Finally he __________ down to finish his coloring. As I was getting ready to __________ home, I felt a tug(猛拽) on my jacket. Standing there was the little boy, __________. He said, “My heart is changing __________. It is getting brighter, I think those hugs really do __________.”On my way home I felt my own heart. It too had changed to a brighter color.

It was a dream born in fire. Andrea Peterson was 5 when she and her mother were trapped in a burning building.

“Throw the kid down!” said the firemen _________. Little Andrea jumped into lifesaving arms and also a lifelong _________: She wanted to fight fires like her rescuers did.

She told that to the firemen but they just _________ good-naturally like grown-ups often do when kids talk about their big _________. You know, it was back in a time when girls weren’t even allowed to _________ such grand goals.

“You’ll be a good mommy,” the firemen told her. “You’ll be a good teacher, maybe you’ll be a nurse, but you can never be a(an) _________.”

As it often happened, reality _________ her dream. She was sent to a flight school, _________ she met her husband, Dennis, who was later diagnosed with cancer. Peterson spent 31 years _________ him. In 2007, when Dennis was coming to the end of his struggle, he was at peace __________ worried for Peterson: “But what are you going to do?”

“I’ll be fine,” she told him.

At 61, Peterson went on an ambulance ride-along. She felt that long-ago childhood __________. She earned her emergency medical technician __________ and responded to fire calls with the ambulance. Her years of tending to Dennis had __________ her for dealing with various hurts and ills.

After a year, she told her boss she wanted to be a firefighter.

In the firefighter training unit, everyone else was between 18 and 21, but it didn’t __________ Peterson. She passed the written test, cleared the physical and, __________, that little girl’s dream came true.

Until April 2, 2011, everything in my life was perfect. I was sitting tight like every other ________ in the country to watch India ________ the world cup. But this day turned my ________ upside down.

I took the train to reach home early that day to watch the match. I caught the ________ train but got pushed out. Next moment I found myself on the track with my right leg injured and ________ badly. I did not feel pain at that moment, as I think it took time to ________ the “reality”. I was sent to hospital ________. As soon as I regained ________, my first question was whether India won. Hearing the doctor reply yes, my happiness knew no ________. But he also told me I should ________ with my leg.

I always dreamt of becoming a professional sportsman one day. But after this, I was in despair as I ________ it would never be possible with only one leg. Then, I happened to learn about the Paralympics (残奥会). My dream was ________. But it was not easy. When I went for long jump, although I was good at it, I was told I would need a blade prosthesis (义肢) which I could not ________.

I spent a year looking for ________ and approached various companies. To my luck in 2013, I got financial support from the Dakshin Rehabilitation Centre. Thereafter, I began taking my ________ in sports seriously and dreamt of representing India in Paralympics one day.