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By Melissa Starker
Since May 15, 2008, Rachel Widomski hasn't done anything in the way of public speaking.
That night, Widomski, then a Haiku server, and her boss, Julie Liu, were run over in the restaurant's parking lot by Michael A. Rose as he fled an unpaid tab. Both were seriously injured; Widomski's spine was severed, leaving her paralyzed below the waist.
Family members and attorneys have spoken for her in the months since, as Widomski has focused on physical rehabilitation and returning to her art studies at Ohio State.
Meanwhile, the courts have dealt with Rose, who pled guilty and in February received a 15-year sentence; and the city's artist and service-worker communities have galvanized to raise funds for Widomski's medical and living expenses at a number of benefit events.
Now, as many who've supported her prepare for this weekend's kickoff of the 25th-anniversary year of Gallery Hop, Widomski has something she'd like to say herself.
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