[00:01.47]The Medal of Life生命的奖牌
[00:03.75]After giving a talk at a high school,
[00:07.49]I was asked to pay a visit to a special student.
[00:10.32]An illness had kept the boy home,
[00:12.41]but he had expressed an interest in meeting me,
[00:14.70]and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.
[00:18.22]During the nine-mile drive to his home,
[00:20.72]I found out something about Matthew.
[00:22.59]He had muscular dystrophy.
[00:24.44]When he was born, the doctor told his parents
[00:27.29]that he would not live to see five,
[00:28.81]and then they were told he would not make it to ten.
[00:31.44]Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal lifter,
[00:36.69]and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
[00:40.29]I spent over an hour talking to Matthew.
[00:43.37]Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?”
[00:46.86]He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams.
[00:51.12]Obviously, he knew what he was talking about.
[00:53.76]He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different.
[00:58.24]He just talked about his hopes for the future,
[01:00.41]and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me.
[01:03.17]When we finished talking,
[01:04.68]I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won
[01:08.22]and put it around his neck.
[01:09.98]I told him he was more of a winner
[01:12.29]and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would.
[01:16.00]He looked at it for a moment,
[01:17.87]then took it off and handed it back to me.
[01:20.37]He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal.
[01:24.52]Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal,
[01:27.71]I will show it to you.”
[01:29.00]Last summer I received a letter
[01:31.31]from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away.
[01:34.47]They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
[01:38.54]Dear Rick,
[01:40.17]My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for your talking with me.
[01:44.32]I also want to let you know
[01:46.63]that the doctors tell me
[01:47.84]that I don’t have long to live anymore.
[01:49.82]But I still smile as much as I can.
[01:52.54]I told you someday I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal.
[01:56.80]But I know now I will never get to do that.
[01:59.66]But I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too.
[02:03.04]When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal
[02:06.20]and when you get there, I will show it to you.
[02:09.39]Thank you for loving me.
[02:10.93]Your friend,
[02:11.79]Matthew