Black Cloud Polly Will See The Mac

[michelej1]

[A fan who travelled far to see the cancelled show won't end up being disappointed. Band promises to make it up to her]

The Truro Daily (Nova Scotia) May 14, 2009

http://www.trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=251310&sc=72

Unlucky Fleetwood Mac fan gets lucky with band after cancelled concert
THE CANADIAN PRESS


EDMONTON — Black Cloud Polly finally found a silver lining.
Polly, also known as Pauline Doucette, earned her nickname in her hometown of Summerside, P.E.I., where her rotten luck is legendary.

But that all changed Wednesday when her lifelong idols, Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, sent her a message promising her “an unforgettable concert experience.”

This week’s trip to Edmonton to see Fleetwood Mac perform was supposed to give her a break from all the hardship she’s endured in her life.

Instead, it seemed like the hardship followed her.
The concert she had been waiting her entire life to see was postponed due to an illness in the band.

“She was just crushed,” said best friend Shannon Doyle, who moved to Edmonton three years ago and got her the tickets. “She’d worked so hard to save the money for plane fare.”

In fact, the single mom, who is trying to get by on a disability pension, spent four months collecting nickels, dimes and quarters to pay for her airfare to Edmonton.

Doucette said she’s been a huge fan since she was seven years old, but has never had the opportunity to see Nicks perform live.

But Fleetwood Mac’s representatives heard of Doucette’s story, they passed the word on to the artists and the band issued a brief statement:

“Fleetwood Mac’s heart goes out to Pauline Doucette and her unfortunate circumstance. We are taking steps to accommodate her needs for an unforgettable concert experience at a future date on the `Unleashed’ tour.”
Spokeswoman Eve Samuels said the exact details have yet to be worked out.
Doucette melted into joyous tears after hearing the news that her idols had taken an interest in her.

“Oh my god — that’s amazing!”

Doyle, who’s known Doucette for 12 years, said everyone in Summerside knows what a big Fleetwood Mac fan she is — and how plagued she is by misfortune.

Eight years ago she slipped into a mysterious coma for two weeks. It turned out to be encephalitis, the same disease that was depicted in the Robin Williams/Robert De Niro film “Awakenings.”

“When I finally started to come around, I didn’t know how to do anything, so I had to learn everything again. I was in a wheelchair for six months and had to get a speech therapist to talk again.”

Then, just as she was ready to resume her life, Doucette sustained a brain injury in a car accident, leaving her with short-term memory loss and unable to work.

Doyle said bad luck just seems to follow her.
“Summerside is a quiet, laid-back place with almost no crime,” he said. “But if some car gets randomly vandalized, you can bet it’ll be hers.”

But Doucette doesn’t want to be considered a “pity case.” When times get tough, she turns to the music of Nicks for comfort.

“First time I ever heard her sing, it was so inspiring to me,” Doucette said. “I don’t know, something about her just inspires me. That’s the only way to explain it. I live for Stevie Nicks.”