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| 'Journey for Faith' tied to Morgan Dunnigan |
Shown with “Journey of Faith,” a book inspired by Morgan Dunnigan, who had a life-threatening tumor removed from her spinal cord last December, are Christ Episcopal Church Youth Group members (front, from left) Grace Prince, Rebecca Moore, Sarah Beth Keyser and Eliza Walmsley. In back are (from left) Colin Dunnigan, Morgan’s father; youth group member Zach Keyser; and youth group adviser Rives Coleman. (Bulletin photo) |
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Tuesday, December 26, 2006
By KATHRIN KLENSHTEYN - Bulletin Staff Writer
Morgan Dunnigan’s story has become a book.
The strength of the 7-year-old Martinsville girl who had a life-threatening tumor removed from her spinal cord last December has inspired many, including the youth group at Christ Episcopal Church. Morgan’s grandparents attend that church.
In January of this year, the group of about 15 middle and high school students and youth adviser Rives Coleman had the idea to write a children’s book for all ages dedicated to and inspired by Morgan.
The story follows the adventures of a teddy bear named Faith. One morning, Faith wakes up and realizes she has lost Morgan. Faith’s search takes her from a Martinsville soccer field to Morgan’s school, Carlisle, then across the country to San Francisco and Texas.
The book’s illustrations were done by local artist Tina Sell, who Coleman said is so skilled that “it’s like she was living in my brain.”
Every week since January, the youth group and Coleman met at the church for an intensive session of writing, editing and debating the story’s twists and turns.
“We’ve never written a book before,” he said.
He said that in his opinion, the hardest part of the process was finding transitions in the story that everyone could agree upon.
Grace Prince, one of the youth leaders, said the members took it slow because they wanted everything to be correct. The other youth leaders are Sarah Beth Keyser, Eliza Walmsley and Mary Miles Hooper.
Although the project took a long time, the Dunnigans only found out about it after Thanksgiving, said Colin Dunnigan, Morgan’s father.
“This is an amazingly well-kept secret,” he said.
Zach Keyser, a member of the youth group, said everybody at the church wanted to know what the group was up to.
Dunnigan said he was “amazed that a group of students and adults would do something like this for Morgan.”
Rebecca Moore, another youth group member, said she participated to help Morgan and show her support.
Five hundred copies of the book were printed by Collinsville Printing Co. They are being sold for $15 each, and proceeds will go into a scholarship fund that will be established in Morgan’s name. Coleman hopes sales of the book will be “an ongoing thing.”
He added anyone wishing to buy a copy can call him at 732-2859.
Walmsley said what she liked best about working on the project was the sense of commitment it brought.
“It unified us as a youth group,” she said.
Prince said she was amazed at the level of participation. Before the group began working on the book, she thought it would be she and the other youth group leaders who would do most of the work. But, she said, the middle-schoolers had great ideas.
“Everyone has their own mark” in the story, she said.
The group took as many details from Morgan’s life as they could. Everything from Tasha, the Dunnigans’ dog, eating Sarah Beth Keyser’s homework — in real life Dunnigan told Carlisle headmaster Simon Owen-Williams “I can verify the dog ate her homework” — to where Morgan’s grandparents live and Morgan’s love of soccer and camping is taken from reality.
Dunnigan said Morgan has improved greatly since she began school in September. She now walks with crutches 99 percent of the time, he said. Her balance continues to improve, he added, and when the family recently visited their doctor in Baltimore at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, he was pleased with Morgan’s improvement as she regains control of her body.
The group presented the story to the Dunnigans at a recent service at Christ Episcopal Church.
There were few dry eyes in the house, Coleman said, but Morgan did not cry.
Although Dunnigan said Morgan is “very uncomfortable with all of the attention she has gotten,” it was obvious the book “meant a lot to her.”
Other members of the youth group are Harrison Hamlet, Sydnor Trent, Daniel Franck, Hillary Mazurek, James Hoy, Sallie Rives Seiy, Robert Spilman, Milt Barber, Lucy Hooper, Hailey Hubbard, James Coleman, Graham Holley and Finley Trent. |
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