Acknowledgments

　　As the mother of a child who had ten surgeries in three years, I would like to thank first the doctors andnurses who routinely take the hardest moments a family can experience and soften¹ the edges: to Dr. RolandEavey and the pediatric nursing staff at Mass. Eye and Ear—thank you for the real-life happy ending. In thecourse of writing My Sister’s Keeper, as always, I was reminded of how very little I know, and how much Irely on the experience and the intellect of others. For allowing me to borrow from their lives personally andprofessionally, or for suggestions of pure writing genius: thank you, Jennifer Sternick, Sherry Fritzsche,Giancarlo Cicchetti, Greg Kachejian, Dr. Vincent Guarerra, Dr. Richard Stone, Dr. Farid Boulad, Dr. EricTerman, Dr. James Umlas, Wyatt Fox, Andrea Greene and Dr. Michael Goldman, Lori Thompson, SynthiaFollensbee, Robin² Kall, Mary Ann McKenney, Harriet St. Laurent, April Murdoch, Aidan Curran, JanePicoult, and Jo-Ann Mapson. For making me “can man” for the night, and part of a bona fide firefightingteam: thanks to Michael Clark, Dave Hautanemi, Richard “Pokey” Low, and Jim Belanger (who also gets agold star for editing my mistakes). For throwing their considerable support behind me, thanks to CarolynReidy, Judith Curr, Camille McDuffie, Laura Mullen, Sarah Branham, Karen Mender, Shannon McKenna,Paolo Pepe, Seale Ballenger, Anne Harris, and the indomitable Atria sales force. For believing in me first, mypure gratitude³ to Laura Gross. For outstanding guidance and the freedom to spread my wings, my sincereappreciation to Emily Bestler. For Scott and Amanda MacLellan, and Dave Cranmer—who offered meinsight into the triumphs and tragedies of living daily with a life-threatening disease—thank you for yourgenerosity, and best wishes for a long and healthy future.

And, as always, thanks to Kyle, Jake, Sammy, and especially to Tim, for being what matters most.

1 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

2 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。