西部落：做个聪明的病人

Being a 'bad' patient

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen talks with "Sex and the City" actor Evan Handler about his battle with cancer.

Well, he was of the special men among the women of “Sex and the City”. But actor Evan Handler has a winning role off the screen as well--he’s trying to change the way the hospitals do business and CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains in today’s “Empowered Patient” segment.

For fans of “Sex and the City”, Evan Handler is Harry¹ Goldenblatt.

“Charlotte York, will you marry me?”

What people don’t know is along with acting², Handler has another passion—patient empowerment. For him, it’s personal. When he was 24, Handler was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors told him he would likely die. Handler believes he’s alive today because of some truly excellent doctors, but also because he was a royal pain in the neck.

I was considered to be difficult and I was pretty rigorous about checking everything all the time.

For example, once he looked at his IV bag and noticed another patient’s name.

So I rang the call bell for the nurse and got the very common response of, “what is it, Evan? We are on a lunch break.” And I said, “Well actually, the drug that’s running into my vein³ has someone else’s name on it.” And there was a pause. And they said, “Someone will be right there.”

And he says this was just the beginning. Infections were allowed to fester. Safety precautions were ignored. So what are his tips for dealing⁴ with an imperfect healthcare system? Handler’s first word of advice—when you’re seriously ill, bring someone with you to the doctor’s office or hospital.

It’s really really tough to keep your eyes on everything by yourself.

Also read about the drug you’re taking and don’t be afraid to speak up.

Question whether it’s the best drug for the condition.

Now more than 20 years later, Handler is cancer-free and writes books about what happened to him.

You go in this room here…

…and uses his celebrity⁵ to tell his story.

I think it’s horrendous⁶ that some of things that happened to me happen and I like them not to happen to others.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, New York.

And you can read more about Handler’s story by checking out Elizabeth Cohen at CNN.com/health.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

6 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。