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4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 17, 1998 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" ANF 7 CT young poet's dream of being published has become a reali- ty. But it hasn't been an easy process. Since she was a teenager, Elaine Lally, now 25, has wanted to be a writer. But her dreams were brought to a sudden halt on Sept. 26, 1993 when she and a friend, Ginny Van Veghel, were involved in a horrific car accident outside Winnipeg. While Ms Lally's friend was unscathed; fate wasn't as kind to the Port Perry woman: she suffered severe head injuries which left her in a coma for over two months. The injuries were so severe that doctors in Winnipeg encouraged her parents to return home to prepare for their daughter's funeral. But the free, determined spirit of the comatose young woman refused to give in. On December 6, 1993, Ms Lally miraculously awakened from her long, dark sleep. What followed next were months and months of an intense rehabilitation program at Oshawa General Hospital before returning home to Port Perry. Since the initial recovery Ms Lally has overcome many hurdles, but will continue to face many more in her lifetime as the aftermath of the accident has left her Tragic accident motivates ung woman to write book of poetry handicapped visually and in cognitive skills. By 16 years of age, Ms Lally was actively writing. Working towards a dream of penning her own book of poetry someday, she had already composed some poetry and short stories. At the time of the accident she was on her way to take writing courses at the University of British Columbia. Although the accident put her vision on hold for a few years, the dream has finally become a reality. Recently Ms Lally had her first book of poetry, Petals Of A Daisy, printed. Ten short stories are included in the work. Named after her favourite flower, Petals Of A Daisy is the complete, unabridged works of Ms Lally. The back page bears a sketch of a daisy with Ms Lally's smiling face forming the yellow center. The poems and short stories include her true feel- ings of love, betrayal and bitterness. "I've learned so much about my inner self since the accident," she said. "I write what my internal dialogue tells me." While many of the pieces were composed before the accident, several have been written since. "I'm a horrific speller. And while some people may be quick to point out some literary mistakes, these are how I perceive things now," said Ms Lally. darkness.... By Heather McCrae / Port Perry Star Names of many will be recognized as the pages turn. The first poem Ms Lally wrote after the near-fatal mishap, Mon Ami, is dedicated to Aaron Bruce Cochrane, her oldest and dearest friend since Kindergarten. Another piece, Sacred Hatred, is Ms Lally's inner- most thoughts about the car crash and the aftermath. "This is me, Elaine, talking. Not anyone else. I had to get my feelings out, even if they were on paper," she said. "I don't think negative energy is good to keep inside. It will only eat at your soul." Petals Of A Daisy represents freedom and a personal style of poetry, said Ms Lally: "Each poem is like a petal and makes up the daisy until it becomes whole." "God's gift to Elaine was her voice," says her mother, Ann Dexter. "Since Dec. 6, 1993 when she woke up from her coma, she's been talking a blue streak. Now she's converted all her thoughts on paper." When Mrs. Dexter arrived at her daughter's bedside hours after the highway crash, Ms Van Veghel gave her a poem which had been found in her friend's pocket. Entitled simply Mommy, the poem spells out a young woman's eternal affection for her mother, a love that shows no boundaries. "It's kinda funny, but I wrote that poem just two weeks prior to the accident," said Ms Lally. Today the original poem is framed, and hangs on the wall at home. When a friend, Adam Stanley, was involved in a tra- gic car accident in July-- his best friend was killed in the crash -- Ms Lally wrote him a couple of letters. "I know what Adam is going through, and wanted to lend him my support," she said. . This year, on the fifth anniversary of the accident, Ms Lally was given a sweater by her family. Bearing a beautiful daisy, it's one of her favourite pieces of clothing. Five hundred copies of Petals Of A Daisy have been printed. Selling for $9 each, they can be purchased at Settlement House and Books Galore and More. Now that her first book of prose has been printed, Ms Lally is looking forward to compiling her own autcebiog- raphy. Discovering Why will be a collection of stories about.how she's survived the trials and tribulations surrounding the accident. "I've gone through a lot of phases throughout my life- time," she said. "At one time I thought I'd like to be an architect or own my own coffee house in the mountains, but now I'm settled with the idea of being a writer." Curry fundraiser's a tasty success for class trip to Quebec By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Students at R.H. Cornish Public School are more than $1,500 closer to taking a class trip to Quebec, thanks to contribu- tions by two Port Perry residents. Funds are being raised so that 17 stu- dents in Natalie Hoffman's Grade 6 French Immersion class can enjoy a four-day trip to St. Donat, next February to learn more about the culture. To help out, Aruna Papp came up with the original notion of cooking a catering curry-based meals to the public. In just over two weeks, her effort has raised more than $500 for the students. Those funds have been combined with a donation of $1,000 from George Geary, a member of the local Baha'i community. The estimated cost for the trip is around $500 per child. "Things are going well so far. Since the article ran we've received lots of orders, definitely enough for us to handle," Mrs. Papp said from her Hyland Crescent home last Thursday. "When (the story) first ran we were getting 16 to 20 orders a'day, so we were quite inundated. It has slowed down a bit now, but we've sort of established a small clientele," said Mrs. Papp. "People enjoy the fact that they don't have to drive to Toronto or Scarborough to get this food; we're taking lots of orders, including some for dinner parties of six or eight people." Mrs. Papp, who is currently on a one- year sabbatical from her family therapy practice to write a book, has been busy preparing the five different dinners -- including chicken, beef and vegetarian dishes -- for her customers. "I'm really enjoying myself and I'm glad to hear that people are also enjoying the food," she said. "It's a unique way to raise funds for the kids and to introduce people in the community to something they cannot sample locally. "I'm having so much fun doing this | may open my own restaurant and not go back to work," she said with a laugh. And, while her little catering business will come to an end in January, Mrs. Papp says that area residents will still be able to enjoy some of their favourite North Indian meals. "I've had some of my regular customers ask what they were going to do when January came and I offered to teach one class on cooking some of their favourite dishes," she said, explaining that a single, three-hour class will be held at her home on Nov. 28. "It's on a first come, first served basis because I can only handle 10 people. I'll go over the basics of Indian cooking with them and they have to eat what they cook." For a fee of $45 per person, or $80 for couples, all materials and recipes will be provided. The class will cover three appe- tizers, fresh mint chutney, cooking lentils, Rogan Josh (beef curry), Chicken Tika (chicken curry), and a rice dish. Anyone wishing to order a meal or take part in the class 1s asked to call 985-9902.