The book "Challenging Fate" tells the story of Stephen
Hawking, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness at the age of 21 but went
on to become a great scientist. After reading this book, I cannot help but
admire Hawking's self-reliance, strong willpower, and unwavering character.
Fate was cruel to Hawking. At 17, he was accepted into the prestigious
Oxford University, but at 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS). Like a flower about to bloom but struck by a harsh frost, a
normal person would have lost faith in life and interest in everything
around them upon learning they had only two and a half years to live. But
Hawking was different. He said to fate, "Do what you like," and to himself,
"Two and a half years is not much time, I must work hard to do something
meaningful and leave a brilliant legacy." To fight against the aggressive
disease, Hawking persevered in climbing stairs with his own strength. As the
disease progressed, he could no longer stand and had to sit in a wheelchair.
He lost the ability to move his fingers, leaving him with only two
functional fingers.
In 1984, he had difficulty speaking and could not enunciate clearly. In
1985, he developed pneumonia and had to undergo a tracheotomy, which left
him unable to speak. Later, a computer and speech synthesizer were installed
on his wheelchair, allowing him to communicate by typing with his two
functioning fingers and composing sentences that were then spoken by the
synthesizer. He used this method to engage in academic communication, give
presentations, and eventually became a great astrophysicist.
We are normal people, while Hawking was a disabled person with a terminal
illness, but he still became a great astrophysicist. Why can't we? It's
because we lack Hawking's self-reliance and unwavering character. Thinking
of this, I cannot help but recall past events. I used to rely on my mother
to do everything for me, including feeding me and helping me dress. But now,
I have grown up and learned to be self-reliant. I sincerely thank Hawking
for teaching me this valuable lesson. |