KEY POINTS:
The mysterious deaths of two apparently healthy young men have bewildered their families and medical experts.
Teenage army recruit Hayden Smith never recovered after being found unconscious in bed by his dad, and father-of-one Michael Wilson died after collapsing at home.
Hayden, a keen sportsman, was taken to Waitakere Hospital nine days ago and later moved to North Shore Hospital. He was declared dead on Monday with his family at his bedside.
The 17-year-old was set to join the army gunners in Waiouru later this month and planned to apply to join the police in three years.
"He had his life mapped out," said his grandmother, Lesley Smith. "It's just such a waste of a thoroughly nice young man."
Lesley said Hayden was out with friends the night before he was found. When he got home he told his dad, Mike, he was fine, folded up his clothes and went to bed.
In the morning, Mike took Hayden's sisters, Brooke and Kelsi, to school. Hayden was supposed to be going to a meeting, but when his dad's calls to the family home in West Auckland went unanswered, he rushed home to see what was going on.
Lesley said North Shore Hospital "just didn't know" what had caused her grandson's death. "They can't put a name to it or reason why."
His funeral on Friday was attended by hundreds of mourners, many of whom had to listen to the service over a loudspeaker outside.
Mike told the congregation his son hugged him and told him he loved him every night before going to bed.
Hayden's former principal at Kelston Boys, Steve Watt, told the Herald on Sunday he was a "likeable rogue". "He was a young man ready to go somewhere in the world."
Meanwhile across Auckland sports-mad Michael Wilson collapsed at his home in Pakuranga last weekend.
His fiancee, Angela, and her sister, Kirsty, had gone to bed after they watched a movie.
Attempts by the women and ambulance staff to resuscitate 33-year-old Michael proved fruitless.
The coroner ruled out usual causes of death, including choking, a heart attack, stroke, blood clot or aneurism.
His mother Jean said she couldn't stop wondering how her fit son could die so suddenly.
"I want to know the answer. He is never sick, he hasn't even got a family doctor. Is it something hereditary?
"We want to know so it isn't passed to his son. What do we write on his death certificate?"
Michael completed a sports education qualification in Gisborne before moving to Australia but returned to New Zealand when he found out his sister was pregnant.
He proposed to his partner of 10 years on Christmas Day and the sweethearts recently announced they were expecting a second baby. Two weeks before his death, he was given a promotion at work.
Jean said Michael and Angela's 22-month-old son Carter didn't understand his dad was dead.
"He got a tissue and wiped his father's nose when he was lying [in a casket] downstairs because that is what his father did to him."
The only blessing in a week of sorrow was the clearing of stormy weather for his "beautiful" funeral at Manukau Memorial Gardens last Thursday, she said.
