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Price Attack inclusiveness gives 20 year-old an exciting new opportunity

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Thanks to Price Attack Queenslander Alyssa Nolan has a chance to shine.

Alyssa is a medical miracle. Born cojoined at the head with her twin Bethany, she survived the ordeal of a marathon operation in 2001 to separate the three-week old twins. Unfortunately her twin sister did not survive.

Alyssa has just one kidney. The twins had shared 10cm of skull and some brain tissue and cranial draining veins, and Alyssa suffered two cardiac arrests during the risky surgery. She was left with a 30cm open cavity in her skull where Bethany used to lie.

“Bethany is always in my heart, she’s always with me and I want to live a good life to honour her,” Alyssa said.

Now, thanks to Price Attack, she has that chance.

Two weeks ago, Queensland’s The Courier Mail revealed Alyssa’s latest battle is finding a job.

“I have a mild intellectual disability, but it doesn’t stop me working hard. I just might take a little bit longer to learn new things,” she told The Courier-Mail.

Alyssa told the paper, she would love a job in retail, she was chatty, friendly and loved to meet and talk to people. 

“I am a caring giving person … I was given the most amazing chance at life and now I just want to live it like any other young woman,” Alyssa told The Courier-Mail.

“I want the chance to show people that I would be a reliable and good worker. That despite my many obstacles in life. I just want to be like any other 20-year-old girl. I have applied for retail jobs but have been rejected maybe because of my health issues. I am epileptic. But that’s well controlled. I will show up every day.”

When Price Attack CEO John Pascoe read the heartfelt story he and Corinne Baker, business development manager corporate stores, reached out to Alyssa. And last week Alyssa started a hairdressing apprenticeship at the Price Attack Indooroopilly salon. 

Corinne said it made perfect sense to not only give Alyssa a job but also give her some skills that would prove valuable for the rest of her life.

“When we saw the story in the paper, we straight away thought about the best way to help,” she said.  

“Hairdressing is a skill you can take with you, wherever you choose to live. We often hear stories of people choosing not to work, so when you hear that someone genuinely wants a job …then they should be given a chance to shine.

“We were horrified to hear she had worked for free for a retailer, who did not offer her a job.”

Creating an inclusive environment is something all Price Attack salons aim to do, Corinne said.

“A new Price Attack salon opening in Sydney soon is introducing quiet times for adults or children with autism to have their hair cut in an environment where they feel safe and calm. Similarly, they will introduce other private spaces where women can remove their hijabs for a treatment.”

Find out more about Price Attack here.