BAKER & McKENZIE
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: My Partners
FROM:Dolly Tai-lan Lo
DATE: October 19, 1995
It has been a long time since most of you have heard from me and many months past my orignal target date of July to return home. I have not communicated because the news was not good and I did not want to burden you. However. I have decided that it is best to share with you my experiences since July.
I was slowly recovering from the bone marrow transplant until July 17, 1995 when my blood tests showed that the cancer cells had returned and constinted 25% of my bloodstream. The doctors' prognosis was that I would likely succumb to the cancer cells by early September. In a sense, they were correct because by Septemiber 9, the cancer cells had taken over 95% of my peripheral blood and other symptoms (severe persistent headaches and humps in my lymph system, etc.) suggested the cancer cells
may have already spread to my brain and lymph system. Furthermore, I had a high fever and infected internal organs for many weeks. However, the worst part were the four tempocary brain aneurysms (similar to minor strokes) which I experienced in a single day on Seplember 5. The doctors did not think I would make it through the week and requested that my family (scattered throughout Taiwan, France, Philadelphia and Vancouver) come to Stanford.
I informed them that I had no intention of dying, though I was prepared and had a will, an educational trust as well as written letters to both my children. I also insisted on staying in the hospital only one night (when I had the aneurysms) since I had one good hour or so a day and I wanted to spend the time with my children. They agreed because they thought they were sending me bome to die. In any event, I survived the latest crisis but it has made me extremely weak and destroyed my natural immune system. The good news is I am recovening slowly and the doctors have found drugs to control some of the problems, while others have "miraculously" disappeared (per the doctors). I myself attribute my survival to my practice of a Chinese meditabion method called "Chi Gong" (which Philip Marcovici can explain) and my belief that God is putting me through these tests so I can serve a greater purpose in this life. Thus, even here, whenever I am able, I am trying to provide advice and counselling to other
marrow patients from Taiwan and China, especially those requiring interpreters. At Ieast I remain a productive member of society in some manner.
What have I learned? One very important element of my ability to persevere in the face of these constant ups and downs is the warmth and support of my family, friends and partners. In particular, Michael Madda who generously lent me his car for months and the Palo Alto/San Francisco partners who have invited me to their partners lunches and the fabulous brunch reception Andre’ Saltoun so graciously gave me in his new home in San Francisco. Unwittingly, they gave me a present which in Chinese tradion is supposed to help "conquer" illness -- a gold bracelet, of which I am most appreciative.
To me,in going through this almost two-year ordeal, Baker & McKenzie has been a family. It is my sincere hope that the firm can somehow maintain that aura and stand together, united against all the difficulties now facing large firms everywhere. I understand from reading the meeting agenda and ome materials that we face some thorny issues, but I have faith that we will all give each other a little leeway and step back and look at the truly essential factors in each of our lives - a pleasant place to work, a job which is challenging and the health and happiness of ourselves and our families.
In closing, I have lived well and happy for six months since I was discharged from the hospital in late March. Until recendy, both my children were here with me (my son is now home in in Taiwan) and I spent many happy hours with them, more time than if I had working. I am also working very hard to recover from this last little battle and fully itend to return to Taipei when I am able, though I am unable to predict a date. Be assured that neither my spirit not my mind has been affected and I am the same person you know, with a little less energy right now.
I wish you all health, peace and happiness.
(網路翻譯，僅供參考)
致：我的合作夥伴
寄件者：陸台蘭
日期：1995 年 10 月 19 日
你們中的大多數人已經很久沒有收到我的消息了，而且比我原定的七月回家日期已經過去了好幾個月。我沒有溝通，是因為消息不好，不想給你們造成負擔。然而。我決定最好與大家分享我自七月以來的經歷。
我從骨髓移植中慢慢恢復，直到 1995 年 7 月 17 日，我的血液檢查顯示癌細胞復發，並限制了我血液的 25%。醫生的預測是我很可能會在九月初死於癌細胞。從某種意義上說，他們是對的，因為到9月9日，癌細胞已經佔據了我95%以上的周邊血，而且其他症狀（持續性嚴重頭痛、淋巴系統駝峰等）都顯示癌細胞已經存在。可能已經擴散到我的腦部和淋巴系統。此外，我連續數週發高燒、內臟感染。然而，最糟糕的部分是我在7月5日一天內經歷的四個臨時腦動脈瘤（類似於輕微中風）。 醫生們不認爲我會熬過這一週，並要求我的家人（分散在臺灣，法國，費城和溫哥華）來史丹佛大學。
我告訴他們，我無意死亡，儘管我已經做好了準備，並且有遺囑、教育信託以及給我兩個孩子的寫信。我還堅持只在醫院住一晚（當我患有動脈瘤時），因為我每天只有一個小時左右的美好時光，而且我想和孩子們共度時光。他們同意了，因為他們認為他們是在送我去送死。無論如何，我度過了最近的危機，但它使我變得極度虛弱並破壞了我的自然免疫系統。好消息是我正在慢慢康復，醫生已經找到了可以控制某些問題的藥物，而其他問題則「奇蹟般地」消失了（根據醫生的說法）。我自己將我的生存歸功於我對一種名為「氣功」的中國冥想方法的練習（菲利普·馬科維奇可以解釋），以及我相信上帝正在讓我通過這些考驗，以便我能夠在今生實現更偉大的目標。因此，即使在這裡，只要我有能力，我也會盡力向其他人提供建議和諮詢。來自台灣和中國大陸的骨髓患者，特別是需要口譯員的患者。至少，我在某種程度上仍然是社會的一個有生產力的成員。
我學到了什麼？面對這些不斷的起起落落，我能夠堅持下去的一個非常重要的因素是家人、朋友和伴侶的溫暖和支持。特別是邁克爾·馬達（Michael Madda）慷慨地將他的汽車借給了我幾個月，還有帕羅奧圖/舊金山的合作夥伴邀請我參加他們的合作夥伴午餐會以及安德烈·薩爾圖恩（Andre'Saltoun）在他舊金山的新家舉辦的精彩早午餐招待會。不知不覺中，他們送給了我一件中國傳統認為可以幫助「戰勝」疾病的禮物——金手鐲，我最欣賞的是它。
對我來說，在經歷這近兩年的磨難時，貝克麥堅時就像一個大家庭。我真誠地希望該公司能夠以某種方式保持這種光環，並團結一致，共同應對世界各地大公司目前面臨的所有困難。透過閱讀會議議程和一些資料，我了解到我們面臨一些棘手的問題，但我相信我們都會給彼此一點餘地，退後一步，看看我們每個人生活中真正重要的因素——一個愉快的地方為了工作，一份充滿挑戰的工作，為了我們自己和家人的健康和幸福。
最後，自從3月下旬出院以來，我已經幸福快樂地生活了六個月。直到最近，我的兩個孩子都和我在一起（我的兒子現在在台灣的家裡），我和他們一起度過了很多快樂的時光，比我工作的時間還要多。我也正在努力從最後的這場小戰鬥中恢復過來，並完全希望在可能的情況下返回台北，儘管我無法預測日期。請放心，我的精神和思想都沒有受到影響，我還是你認識的那個人，只是現在精力少了一點。
祝大家健康、平安、幸福。
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