Troy Watson's week has been made after a stranger gifted him some money after reading about his battle with cystic fibrosis.
The 20-year-old from Whakatāne told the Bay of Plenty Times last week he had just spent two and a half weeks in Tauranga Hospital, struggling to walkand breathe because of cystic fibrosis - a life-threatening, debilitating genetic condition he was born with.
"When I went into hospital, I lost my fighting attitude," he said at the time.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetically inherited condition that produces thick and sticky mucus and mainly affects a person's lungs and digestive system. Specialists believe the average life expectancy of a person with cystic fibrosis is mid-to-late 30s.
Trikafta treats the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, but is not publicly funded in New Zealand and costs about $330,000 per year. A petition seeking to change this has been presented to Parliament, claiming clinical trials have shown "significant improvement" in health outcomes for people with the condition.
After reading Watson's story, Mount Maunganui resident Maree Herbert got in touch with Watson and gifted him some money so he could do something nice with his friends or family.
"She just said that, because she was a parent herself, and that if her kids were going through the same thing, she would hope that someone would actually do something about it," Watson said.
"She thought she would just do what she could to help me out really."
Watson received the money in his bank account on Wednesday.
"It was really good actually - it definitely made my week."
He was not sure what he would do with the money yet, but was planning on going out for lunch on Sunday in Whakatāne with his mother and older brother, Ashley Watson, who also has cystic fibrosis.
Watson said nothing like this had ever happened to him before.
"Mum was amazed."
Mother-of-two Maree Herbert said reading Watson's story "touched [her] heart".
She called Watson and deposited some money into his bank account. She wanted to keep the amount of money private.