Anne and Al Gourley have both survived alarming health issues. Photo / Doug Sherring
Anne and Al Gourley have both survived alarming health issues. Photo / Doug Sherring
Anne and Al Gourley focus on first home for their daughter Amy
They've survived two health crises - including breast cancer - and now Anne and Al Gourley are battling the pain barrier on Our First Home.
Retired builder Al Gourley suffered temporary paralysis and was at death's door after contracting blood poisoning two years ago. His wife Anne, a hospice nurse, had a double mastectomy last June after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Now the couple, aged 57, their daughter Amy Kim and her husband Matt (both aged 21), have joined two other families to renovate and auction their own pad on TV One's reality TV show.
Al was convinced he would not survive after an accident while volunteering for Habitat for Humanity in post-earthquake Christchurch.
What began as a sprained ankle soon became a brush with death after he contracted blood poisoning.
"My spine was infected. I was immobile and in hospital for a month," he told the Herald on Sunday.
"I thought I would die and had to tell my son Josh he would have to step up and become the man of the house. That is a hard thing for a 17-year-old to take in.
"It took a year for me to come right and I am just grateful I am still here. Every day is now a bonus."
Al was left with four damaged vertebrae and takes strong painkillers daily. But his own troubles paled with a devastating prognosis last year that his wife of 36 years had cancer.
Anne and Al with daughter Amy and her husband Matt. Photo / Doug Sherring
"Anne had a small lump in her breast and it was very aggressive," he said. "From day one we decided on a double mastectomy and it meant she at least did not have to go through chemotherapy.
"I have been humbled by my wife's positive attitude and her ability to just get on with it. To me, she is the most beautiful woman in the world and if I had my time again I would marry her all over again."
Filming Our First Home had been tough for the couple but it had helped the family forget their recent ordeals, Al explained.
The family bought a run-down bungalow in Avondale, West Auckland, for around $500,000 as their do-up.
Each team in the show will use profits from the sale of the properties they purchased for Our First Home as a deposit towards their kids' first home. The family who make the greatest percentage profit from their sale will pocket an additional $100,00 in prize money.
Our First Home will screen three times weekly and may be able to knock The Block NZ off its perch as the nation's most-watched renovation reality show.
Figures from ratings agency Nielsen show last Sunday's debut episode pulled 456,000 viewers. Numbers dropped to 334,000 and 309,000 for the following two nights, respectively.
Last August, The Block attracted 341,000 viewers on its opening night, dropping to 262,000 and 264,000 for the next two episodes.
