評論
打印
Everyone in town knows Ryan Houck, but not for the reasons you'd expect.
鎮上的每個人都認識瑞恩·豪克，但原因不是你想象的那樣。
He's not the businessman who helped revitalize the downtown.
他不是那個幫助重振市中心的商人。
He's not the bakery owner who donates doughnuts and hot dog buns to local fund-raisers.
他也不是向當地募捐者捐贈甜甜圈和熱狗面包的面包房老板。
He's not the woman who dug into her retirement money to help rebuild Columbiana's beloved Firestone Park.
他不是那個用自己的退休金幫助重建哥倫比亞納人鐘愛的費爾斯通公園的女人。
He's just a kid, and he has a lot of challenges.
他只是個孩子，而且他面臨很多挑戰。
Ryan, five, has a rare disease called Miller-Dieker syndrome,
五歲的瑞恩患有一種罕見的疾病米勒-迪克綜合癥，
a devastating developmental brain disorder that makes it impossible for him to speak or move.
這是一種毀滅性的大腦發育障礙，使他無法說話或行動。
In fact, the doctors said Ryan wouldn't live to see age two.
事實上，醫生說瑞恩活不過兩歲。
For a long time, his parents, Dan and Meghan Houck, were stunned and heartbroken.
在很長一段時間里，他的父母丹和梅根·霍克都感到震驚和心碎。
"All the dreams and aspirations you had for your child kind of vanish," Meghan says.
“你對自己孩子的所有夢想和抱負都消逝了，”梅根說。
Then, when Ryan was 18 months old, the Houcks witnessed what you might call a miracle, if it didn't happen all the time in Columbiana.
然后，在瑞恩18個月大的時候，霍克一家人見證了一個或許可以稱之為奇跡的事情，如果這種事不是在哥倫比亞納一直發生的話。
They had heard about shows at the Main Street Theater featuring actors with all kinds of disabilities, from physical challenges to autism.
他們聽說過主街劇院有各種殘疾演員的演出，從患身體上的疾病到自閉癥的人都有。
Curious, they took Ryan to a meeting about the upcoming production of The Little Mermaid.
出于好奇，他們帶著瑞恩參加了一個關于即將上映的《小美人魚》的會議。
Before long, he got a part—a juicy one. He was cast as King Triton, the merman-demigod who wields a lightning-shooting trident.
不久，他得到了一個角色——一個有趣的角色。他獲選扮演特里同國王，一個擁有閃電射擊三叉戟的半人半神。
This Little Merman was a true family affair.
這個小人魚是真正的家族大事。
On opening night, Ryan received a personalized star-shaped poster and walked the red carpet,
首映當晚，瑞恩收到了一張個性化的星形海報，并且和他的父母走上了紅地毯，
just as all the actors in these Crown Theater Productions shows do, with his parents.
就像皇冠劇團所有的演員一樣。
Dan delivered Triton's lines from the wings.
丹從用四肢表演自己的臺詞。
Meghan, dressed in black to blend in with the background, stood onstage wearing a strap-on baby carrier with Ryan in it.
梅根身穿黑色衣服，與背景融為一體，她站在臺上，身上帶著瑞恩的嬰兒背帶。
She moved his limbs as he "acted" out the lines.
當丹“表演”臺詞時，梅根移動他的四肢。
When the Houcks finished their big scene, the crowd jumped to their feet to cheer for the most irresistible theatrical debut in Columbiana history.
當霍克家人完成他們的大場面，人群跳起來歡呼在哥倫比亞納歷史上最無法抗拒的戲劇首演。
