University of Otago student Paddy O’Brien (18), of San Francisco, has beaten the odds to study here.
In 2009, he developed pain in his left leg and was rushed to hospital after collapsing at his home in Mill Valley, which overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge.
He was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer.
Nine months of hospital care also included two operations and four months of radiation treatment.
"I tried to make the best of it. Obviously it’s not a good situation to be in but there’s no point complaining about it ... I was thankful to be alive."
Paddy’s positive attitude attracted the attention of hospital management. It made him the face of a fundraising campaign to build a children’s hospital in San Francisco.
In remission, he won a fundraising challenge to collect the most donors for the nearly $US1 billion University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital.
At a ground-breaking ceremony, aged 12, he turned the first sod on the new hospital site and read his poem Needles about his treatment.
The hospital building was finished in 2014 and his cancer has remained in remission.
He heard about University of Otago through a family friend and "checked it out" online.
"I feel in love with the campus — it’s absolutely beautiful."
He aimed to complete a science degree in less than three years so he could focus on his sporting goal. He is aiming to join a United States cycling squad for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
He arrived in Dunedin earlier this month, and was "overwhelmed" by the campus and city.
"I couldn’t be happier."