However, good news may be on the horizon for others unable to travel so far afield to access Trikafta.
The Otago Daily Times understands Pharmac is poised to announce a provisional agreement to fund the drug.
A year’s supply for one person costs about $330,000 excluding GST, according to the Cystic Fibrosis New Zealand (CFNZ) website.
However, it is funded in more than 30 other countries, including the UK.
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic condition that mainly affects the lungs and digestive system and affects about 570 people nationally.
According to CFNZ, respiratory specialists believe life expectancy is in the mid to late 30s at present.
Mr Gawn (24), formerly of Oamaru, and his twin sister Emma were diagnosed with the condition at birth.
He said he would be "stoked" if the drug became funded in New Zealand.
"It would be massive.
"It’s the closest thing there has been to a cure."
Regardless of any change in funding, he and his partner wanted to go on an OE and would leave as planned in March next year.
However, it would be great to have the security of knowing he could come home again without sacrificing his health.
The drug improved lung function by 20% within one year and reduced the need for lung transplants, he said.
"To a certain extent it takes away uncertainty about how long your health will last."
Given the benefits of the drug, he thought the price was an insufficient justification to withhold funding, Mr Gawn said.
His sister had already left the country for Australia in August after Budget 2022 dashed her hopes that Pharmac would have enough funding to make Trikafta available.
Miss Gawn said her life-long coughing fits had gone and she felt excited for the future.
"After 24 years of feeling like I’m breathing through a straw, in only a couple of weeks of Trikafta, it’s already changing my life," Ms Gawn said.
She would like to move back to New Zealand one day, she said.
"It’s definitely where I see myself ending up but now that I’ve been on the drug there is no way I’ll be moving back unless it is funded."
CFNZ chief executive Lisa Burns described New Zealand’s current medicine funding system as "out of step" with the rest of the world.
The Gawn twins were not alone in heading abroad to gain access to Trikafta or similar medication, with others from the cystic fibrosis community moving or making plans to move on a near-weekly basis.
"New Zealanders shouldn't have to move country to receive the treatment that could add 27 years of full health to their lives," she said.
The organisation wanted all those with cystic fibrosis to have publicly funded access to Trikafta or similar medication.
