Ron Robert, who has spent the past four years taking 35 courses on history, political science and cross disciplinary studies, graduated from King’s University College in London, Ont. on Wednesday.
Ron Robert在过去四年里在历史、政治、交叉学科领域共修35门课程。他于周三毕业于位于伦敦的King’s University College。
Robert was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2015 and struggled with depression after receiving the news. He described his decision to enrol in university “a personal experiment that has succeeded by setting an example.”
2015年，罗伯特被诊断出患有阿尔茨海默症，在得知这个消息后，他一直在与抑郁症作斗争。他把自己上大学的决定描述为“a personal experiment that has succeeded by setting an example.”
“It’s such a wonderful feeling,” Robert told CTVNews.ca as he prepared to receive his diploma at Convocation Hall. “It gives a lot of people hope that they can live they can still live a good life with Alzheimer’s. There will come a time when I won’t be able to, and I fully expect that. But in the meantime, I’m living a full life.”
“这种感觉太棒了，”罗伯特告诉CTVNews.ca。当时他正准备在毕业典礼大厅接受毕业证书。“这给了很多患有阿尔茨海默症的人希望，他们仍然可以过上好日子。与此同时，我过着充实的生活。”
Robert is not alone either. According to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, more than 569,000 people were living with dementia in Canada in 2020. In a report released by the group in September this year, they predicted nearly one million people in the country will be living with dementia by the end of the decade.
罗伯特不是特例。根据加拿大阿尔茨海默病协会的数据，2020年加拿大有超过569,000人患有痴呆症。在该组织今年9月发布的一份报告中，他们预测，到2020年，该国将有近100万人患有痴呆症。
Over the four years at university, Robert said that despite his Alzheimer’s worsening, he believes the regular mental challenges may have helped slow the deterioration.
在大学四年里，罗伯特说，尽管他的阿尔茨海默症恶化了，但他相信该精神挑战可能有助于减缓恶化的速度。
“My short term memory is terrible…but my long term memory is not bad. It’s actually improved,” he said.
“我的短期记忆很糟糕……但我的长期记忆还不错。它实际上有所改善，”他说。
His wife Catherine Cornelius told CTVNews.ca that her husband persevered through the course despite his condition. “He worked hard,” she said. “I definitely believe that his focus on his studies stopped his Alzheimer’s from progressing.”
他的妻子Catherine Cornelius告诉CTVNews.ca新闻。她的丈夫尽管身体状况不佳，但还是坚持了下来。“他工作很努力，”她说。“我绝对相信，他对研究的专注阻止了他的阿尔茨海默症的恶化。”
While on campus, Robert also spoke to medical students, explaining what it’s like to live with memory loss and how patience and kindness from medical professionals is appreciated by those who suffer with dementia.
在校园里，罗伯特还对医科学生进行了演讲，解释了失忆是什么感觉，以及痴呆症患者如何感激医疗专业人员的耐心和善意。
Robert also credits teachers on his courses for adapting their classes to help him remember information, by recording the lectures he attended so he could listen to them multiple times.
罗伯特还赞扬了他课程中的老师，他们通过录制课程来帮助他记忆，这样他就可以多次听了。
One of his professors, Jeff Preston says he is “thrilled” by Ron’s achievement.
他的一位教授杰夫·普雷斯顿说，他对罗恩的成就感到“兴奋”。
“I think Ron is the living embodiment of the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, or perhaps, don’t assume someone cannot [do something] simply because of a diagnosis.” Preston told CTVNews.ca.
“我认为罗恩是‘不要以貌取人’这句话的生动体现，或者，不要仅仅因为诊断就认为某人不能(做某事)。”普雷斯顿告诉CTVNews.ca。
“We have this perception that people with disabilities like Alzheimer’s are wholly incapable. I think what Ron has shown is that all sorts of people can succeed in a university classroom when provided with the right environment and supports to nurture success,” he added.
“我们认为，像阿尔茨海默症这样的残疾人是完全没有能力的。我认为罗恩向我们展示了，只要有合适的环境和支持来培养成功，各种各样的人都可以在大学课堂上取得成功。”
The walk across the stage to collect his degree culminates in a 60-year wish for Robert. He said he had always wanted to attend university and instead had a 20-year career as a radio and television journalist in Saskatchewan and Alberta and worked as a political aide to former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
走过舞台去领取学位的那一刻，罗伯特实现了他60年的愿望。他说，他一直想上大学，当他在萨斯喀彻温省和阿尔伯塔省做了20年的广播和电视记者，还担任过前总理皮埃尔·特鲁多(Pierre Trudeau)政治助理的时候。
In early November, he turns 85 years old. With one diploma to hang on his wall, he has plans to begin studies for a Master’s degree, and hopes to research ways of living better with Alzheimer’s disease, with his own experience as a model for others.
11月初，他将迎来85岁生日。有了一张挂在墙上的文凭，他计划开始攻读硕士学位，并希望以自己的经历作为榜样，研究阿尔茨海默症患者如何更好地生活。
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