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We had done our homework, followed every instruction, and chosen the best doctor.
我們做足了功課，遵照每一個指示，選擇了最好的醫生。
Now Pete’s life was in the surgeon’s hands.
現在，皮特的生命掌握在外科醫生的手中。
Eight hours later, he was wheeled to the recovery room. The operation was a success.
八小時后，他被推到了康復室。手術很成功。
A few days later, a biopsy revealed that the tumor was a rare aggressive type of meningioma that exhibits cancerlike behavior.
幾天后，活組織檢查顯示，皮特的腫瘤是一種罕見的侵襲性腦膜瘤，表現出癌癥樣行為。
The surgeon sent us to a Duke oncologist who recommended radiation to prevent a reoccurrence.
外科醫生讓我們去看杜克大學的腫瘤學家，后者建議我們做放射治療以防止復發。
She told us there were different types of radiation therapy
她告訴我們，有幾種不同的放射治療，
but little consensus on which was best and to take our time making a decision while Pete healed.
但是對于哪一個是最好的，人們沒有達成一致意見。我們需要在皮特康復的時候做出決定。
As I researched our options, a physician friend sent me an article from a health portal that medical professionals rely on called uptodate.com.
在我研究我們的選擇時，一位醫生給我發了uptodate.com上的一篇文章，它是一個醫務人員信賴的門戶網站。
The information is dense, but it includes the latest evidence-based treatment guidelines for almost every condition,
文章里的信息非常密集，但是它包含了針對幾乎所有病癥的最新循證治療指南，
and it helped me understand the different types of radiation.
它幫助我理解了不同類型的放射治療。
Patients can access the site by paying a fee ($20 for a one-week subscription),
患者可以通過支付費用(訂閱費每周20美元)進入該網站，
and I often subscribe when a friend needs deeper information than what he or she can find on free sites.
當朋友需要比免費網站上的內容更深入的信息時，我通常會訂閱。
After studying all the options, we talked with the oncologist and decided to do the radiation closer to home rather than under her care at Duke.
在研究了所有的選擇之后，我們和腫瘤醫生談了談，決定在離家更近的地方進行放射治療，而不是在杜克大學里接受她的治療。
But her honesty and understanding in that situation helped build the foundation for a physician-patient relationship that Pete values to this day.
但她在那種情況下的誠實和理解為醫生和病人的關系奠定了基礎，皮特至今仍珍視這種關系。
He treks to Duke to see her several times a year to make sure the tumor hasn’t returned.
他每年都要長途跋涉到杜克去看她幾次，以確定腫瘤沒有復發。
He often e-mails her with general questions about his health— even though he has a new primary care physician—and she always takes the time to reply.
他經常給她發電子郵件，詢問有關他健康的一般性問題——盡管他有了一位新的初級保健醫生——而且她總是會花時間回復。
They developed something simple yet precious in their time together: a sense of trust.
他們在共處的時間里培養了一種簡單卻珍貴的東西：信任感。
