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z | Page 5 Volume 13 Number 31 | 50¢
july 31, 2014
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Living to tell the tale: a full circle journey After fours years of writing, former childcare worker Mary Hayward was on the verge of publishing her first book, a children’s action and adventure story. The novel, a fantastical world of wizards and caverns, great strength of character and finding your way back, was also to include some of Mary’s coloured pencil and ink illustrations. It was around this time that Mary became ill. An avid reader, Mary began to suspect something was wrong when she could no longer focus and reading became exhausting for her. Her short-term memory was failing and she was sent for an MRI scan to identify the problem. By the time physicians figured out what was wrong, Mary was given four days to live. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of an egg which was cutting off the circulation of her spinal cord fluid. Mary opted for a risky operation requiring the skills of two teams of surgeons. Dr. David Omahen, a neurosurgeon at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH), headed Mary’s 13-hour surgery. In her gratitude, Mary calls Dr. Omahen her hero. “He figured he could do something for me. I would not be here today if not for him.” To the Oncology department at RIH, it is Mary who is both a hero and a miracle. The surgical team removed 75 per cent of her tumor to enable her to proceed with chemotherapy treatment. Amazingly, Mary suffers no deficits following her surgery and treatment. Today Mary is celebrating her
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health and the release of her novel, Laughing Dragons. A tale of friendship, the novel’s main character, Dean Albany, is a fourteen-year-old orphan who lost his parents in a car accident. Together with his friend Tom, he embarks on a journey wrapped in Chinese mythology, that is fraught with danger, mystery, magic and most importantly, self-discovery. In the ancient underground world of caverns, they must retrieve three magical objects, each protected by a dragon. If they manage to gather the items needed they must then gain entry to the Chamber of Souls to complete the quest. In this journey, the two boys learn that true friendship is a very powerful force. With her background as a childcare worker, Mary is no stranger to grief or lost children. She muses, “Many people don’t let themselves feel grief. They don’t trust.” Just as art often imitates life, Mary’s remarkable full circle journey is analogous to her fictional tale. “No matter how far off the track you get, there’s always a way back,” Mary openly asserts. Mary received the first ten copies of her book from Amazon early this year, a physical testament to triumph of the human spirit. In her book, she dedicates and acknowledges the support of the “two Davids” in her life her husband, David and Dr. David Omahen - who were powerful forces in helping her defeat her Goliath. Laughing Dragons offers hope to those who have lost their way and believe there is no way back. Now that her book has been released, Mary is making plans for local readings and to share her personal tale at Chapters and TNRD library branches in the fall. In the meantime, you can order a copy of Laughing Dragons online at amazon.ca. Jody Tippett
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