Nelson Weekly
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Wednesday 13 November 2019
Black eye from a Black Cap
Motorhome Show
Page 4
Joeline’s big sprint
‘I feel my death is a special circumstance’ Charles Anderson Craig Gray says he feels like he has been set adrift in a life raft and left to fend for himself. After battling a rare blood cancer for almost five years, the Stoke resident has been forced to source life extending drugs from Bangladesh, at a cost of $1100 a month. This is because Pharmac, the crown entity that decides which medicines are subsidised, does not fund the drug. “They say my death isn’t a special circumstance,” Craig says. “But I feel my death is a special circumstance. For my family and for my kids it is.” But despite the outlook and financial stress for Craig, who once
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Despite his cancer prognosis, Craig Gray says he is the happiest he has ever been after learning to let go. Photo: Charles Anderson.
was told he had only two weeks to live, he says he is the happiest he has ever been. “It’s bizarre. I’ve just let go. Not being in control of anything is the best way to be. All I can control is myself.” It all started in July 2015 when he was working 60 hours a week as the head chef of a local café. Then he separated from his wife and then was made redundant. He thought it was just stress – but Craig found himself forgetting things. He ran red lights. He would say the same thing over and over. He eventually went to the doctor with what he thought was a chest infection.
SEE PAGE 2
Talent needed for Nelson Kate Russell
While the weather is good and the commutes are short, Nelson’s lifestyle is proving not enough to attract key workers needed for
our region’s booming businesses - resulting in a call to action to combat the problem. New research has revealed that many businesses in the region are experiencing rapid growth but are
Vern believed all he was saying ‘yes’ to was a glass of Fanta.
struggling to fill vacant positions, with 60 per cent saying talent attraction is their biggest issue. The research was commissioned this year by the Nelson Tasman Innovation Neighbourhood
(NTIN) - a group of local organisations who are collaborating on how to tackle common business issues and identify common opportunities. More than 100 local employers
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SEE PAGE 3
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