Page 86 - Port Douglas Magazine 35

LAURA GRAY
“Life is not a dress
rehearsal, you only
get one chance, live
your best life and
be a good human
along the way”
88 tourismportdouglas.com.au
There is just something about having a chat with someone who has a real zeal for life. It causes a stir of
jubilation, gets your heart beating, and creates a spark within ourselves – you can’t help but be drawn
to these people. This is something that seems to naturally flow from Laura Gray like a magical ripple
of positivity. The mother of two boys is a high school teacher who works exclusively with students with
disabilities. A breast cancer survivor, her unwavering optimism for life comes from her Irish swagger of
charm, warmth, and a wit that shines through adversity.
Squeezing the most out of life, Laura is a powerhouse of inspiration. Spirited to the core, she lives with
an earned “all or nothing” nature – extreme in her approach, nothing she does is half-hearted, going full
tilt as she is completely committed. She loves and supports hard, virtues that have seen her overcome
devastating hardships.
When Laura arrived in Australia in 2004 as a backpacker, she never imagined she would ever call Port
Douglas home. She remembers her first visit to the Coral Sea village: “I was like Oh. My. God. This place
is paradise, people actually live here?!”
Growing up in the rolling midlands of the Emerald Isles, Laura had a happy childhood with the endless
freedom of playing amongst the shades of green in a village comparable in size to Port Douglas. However
that’s where any similarities end, as you won’t find the hallmarks of Port - sun, palms, and tropical
breezes - in Ireland.
“Port Douglas is a special place; you can drive half an hour in any direction and have a completely
different experience – the Rainforest one way, the Tablelands the other, and the Great Barrier Reef out
to sea. We are very lucky to live here,” said Laura.
Laura met her husband, Danny, ironically having the craic at PJ O’Briens, an Irish pub in Sydney, and
the two made the move to Port Douglas in 2009. This solidified her decision to permanently leave her
roots in Ireland and the people of her childhood. “When you decide to move to a completely different
country, you can’t yearn for another place, my little family live here now, but Ireland has my heart and
will always be home to me,” she said.
Turmoil hit the fan for 42-year-old Laura when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. Suddenly
her world was shaken, experiencing a roller coaster of raw and real emotions. She was a mother to a one-
and three-year-old which added to the overwhelming challenging moment in time.
“I found a lump in my breast in 2017 when I was 37, the cancer was aggressive but
fortunately we were able to get to it early with a successful treatment.”
Laura cannot express enough of the love and gratitude she has for the community:
“The support from the community was enormous and heart-warming.
“People we didn’t even know were dropping off meals and helping out, strangers
became friends,” she lovingly tells.
She found unconditional support within the Douglas Shire; in return, she is
dedicated to aiding other women in similar situations by helping them make the
road a bit smoother through her own experience and assisting with the fundraising
efforts of Pink In The Tropics.
Laura recently celebrated her five-year cancer-versity of being cancer-free, a
milestone she is overjoyed to reach, with thoughts of disbelief and euphoria.
However, if you ask her what her biggest challenge is, two words: raising boys, “It’s
full-on, they are very like me, all or nothing boys. Try parenting yourself with a
penis, it’s not easy but it’s definitely fun! If I can get them to adulthood, then that
would make beating breast cancer look like a walk in the park,” she quips.
Of course, this Irish Mammy says this all in good jest. It is her children that she
feels so blessed to have, she loves her boys with her whole soul, and life with her
kids is about enjoying the simple pleasures, creating memories, and getting over
all of life’s hurdles together. She cherishes every moment with them, knowing how
lucky she is to have them. Laura has seen many younger women in their early
twenties have their lives come to a screeching halt receiving their breast cancer
diagnosis and often thought how cruel this disease is that may rob them of their
chance to have children.
No matter the curveball that the universe throws Laura’s way, nothing can steal
the identity of her heart and soul of being a strong and happy woman who takes
nothing in this life for granted.
“Life is not a dress rehearsal,” an affirmation she believes wholeheartedly, “you
only get one chance, live your best life and be a good human along the way,” Laura
encourages.
No need for four-leaf clovers for Laura - she feels lucky enough to have a beautiful
family, a tight circle of good friends and living in a place where she happily plays
tourist in her own town.
“Some of the best holidays we have had are the ones we have had in our backyard,
with the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef there is always something
new and exciting to discover.”