I am in my late fifties and have terminal lung cancer. This was a bit of a surprise as I have never smoked, almost don't drink (one beer every two years) and kept pretty fit.
Oh well, such is life.
At the end of 2019 I had six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which has knocked the tumour back a bit. However, the prognosis is not bright. I was receiving an experimental immunotherapy drug on compassionate grounds during 2020. All treatment was stopped in late 2020. I am now just enjoying life day by day.
Right from the moment of diagnosis my approach has been 'Not happy to die, but will die happy'. I have tried hard not to be gloomy about my predicament and have endeavoured to make the situation as easy to manage for those around me as I can.
For the last thirty years I have worked with companies to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. This has involved the application of human-social factors in the workplace. In practical terms this meant leadership development, team development, conflict resolution and individual coaching.
I enjoyed this work immensely and made many life long friends in the process.
For the last fifteen years I have worked with Tima Consulting (https://www.tima.co.nz).
My personal interests include youth mentoring, karate, general community involvement and sailing.
I have been a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nelson since 2002 over three matches and have been involved with the national organisation. I help run the KSI Karate club of Nelson - perhaps not the most traditional karate club you will ever see, but we have a lot of fun :-)
I love the idea of being part of a community. As a result, I have been an enthusiastic member of the Rotary Club of Whakatu, assisted various folk in need and make an effort to help where I can.
I have done very little sailing until recently. It was not something my family shared my enthusiasm for and frankly, I worked and travelled too much in recent years to justify having a boat. I had intended to build a John Welsford Pathfinder at the end of 2019. The plans are sitting in a box alongside me as I type. However, my health situation meant this was not possible. My very supportive wife most graciously suggested that we engage someone to help me build the boat. This ended up being Peter Murton from Murton's Timbercraft in Appleby. The support went from 'support' to Peter building the entire boat - for which I am very grateful.