Many soccer players like to have a soak in a hot spa to ease their muscles after a tough game.
For 7-year-old Rhys Vermeulen, that's also true - but the benefits are far greater.
In the backyard of Rhys' Mairangi Bay home sits his very own spa. No, he's not some amazing soccer prodigy being indulged by his parents - the spa is the result of an extraordinary community effort for a young boy with muscular dystrophy.
Rhys' parents, Tania, 40, and Gary, 43, were first told of their son's condition in 2010 after his teacher at Sunnynook School noted he had larger than usual calf muscles, and suggested he see a paediatrician.
"He'd taken a while to walk and always went upstairs one step at a time, but we thought he was still reaching his milestones," Tania says. Rhys has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a genetic disorder that results in muscle degeneration, affecting the child's muscle strength and ability to walk. The condition, which mainly affects boys, gets worse with age.
"We Googled it before we went to see a neurologist and found it extremely difficult to read," Gary says.
But the couple were relieved to find things weren't as bad as the internet was telling them. "Lots has changed in a short space of time," Tania says. "Ten years ago, people would live until their late teens, early 20s tops. Now they're living into their 30s."
Rhys is treated with steroids to help keep him strong and walking. He has also been added to the NZ Neuromuscular Disease Registry, set up to identify participants suitable for clinical trials. If a new treatment comes up, it's hoped he may be able to try it.
Gary says the neurologist was pleased they caught the disorder early.
"It gives them more time to explore options. Until we've got that magic pill, it's about finding whatever means available to keep him going."
That's where the spa pool comes in. The whole family, including Rhys' 10-year-old brother, Hayden, are members of Glenfield Rovers Soccer club on the North Shore.
Gary has been involved since he was 13 as a player, and now coaches, while Tania has played socially. Together they convened the midget club (ages 5to 8).
Their friend, Donna Tomlinson, who is also a member, says her heart broke when Tania told her about Rhys' condition.
"The family's already been through quite a lot of sadness: Tania's mum hasn't been well, her brother Wayne died of a brain tumour in October and another friend died in August."
The Vermeulens had planned a trip to the US, to visit the likes of Disneyland and Seaworld, but decided to bring it forward while Rhys was still well enough.
Initial thoughts by Donna and friends were that Glenfield Rovers would help fundraise for the trip, but the club was already raising money for Wayne, who was also a member and seriously ill at the time.
The family went ahead and took their trip, but before they left New Zealand Tania visited Donna and joined her for a soak in her spa pool.
"Tania made a comment about how it'd be awesome to get a spa pool because it would help Rhys with his muscular dystrophy," Donna says.
"I got together with our friend Nikki [Reive] who is also a club member and said 'how about a spa pool for Rhys?"'
They hatched a plan for Glenfield Rovers to fundraise through a Trivial Pursuit night, and then install the spa pool while the Vermeulen family were away.
"It was about saying we're there for them for the future. Glenfield Rovers are a very family-oriented club - once you're there, you're there for life."
The fundraiser was about a week before the family's holiday, so the event had to be kept secret from them.
"We rang Gary's parents and asked them to keep them away from the club that night."
The club raised more than $12,000, as well as a donation for the Muscular Dystrophy Association Bow Tie Week, which happened at the same time.
Donna and Nikki then approached Jim and Margie Churchman from Sundance Spas, who told them to bring whatever money they had and they would do their best to provide a suitable spa.
The Churchmans supplied a premium hydrotherapy pool worth more than the amount given because they were pleased to be part of such a worthwhile project, Donna says.
While the Vermeulens were in the US, their friends got to work. The family washing line and fence had to be removed to make way for the hi-tech pool and all was in place in time for when the family arrived home on April 26. "They landed at 5.30am and I'd pre-arranged with Gary's father John to text me once they got to the Harbour Bridge," Donna says.
"A group of us parked our cars away at Nikki's place and waited by the spa pool to surprise them."
Gary's mum Kay told Hayden and Rhys to go outside and find their cats Rocket and Tiger-Lily, where they were instead greeted with a loud "surprise!" from their friends.
Rhys says: "I thought 'oh my god it's a new spa pool and fence'!"
Since then, the youngster, who plays cricket as well as soccer and also likes collecting Pokemon cards, has spent a lot of time in the pool.
"When you hop in, you feel the hot water; and when you put the jets on, it cools down. I like putting my legs against the jets - they feel nice."
Donna says the pool will provide relief to Rhys as his condition deteriorates. "But it will be for Tania and Gary as well. It's something the whole family will benefit from."
Tania says she was blown away.
"It was overwhelming to think a whole lot of our friends, family and the club had banded together, organised this and kept it a big secret," she says. "We can't thank them enough."
The smile on Rhys' face as he takes a dip may well be thanks enough.
WHAT IS MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY?
There are nine types of muscular dystrophy. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common.
It is characterised by muscle weakness, waddling gait, difficulty climbing stairs then scoliosis.
It is a genetic disorder caused by a defect in a gene on the X chromosome that causes the protein dystrophin to break down. This weakens and breaks down muscles.
Children usually lose the ability to walk between 8 and 12.
Since girls have two X chromosomes, even if one is faulty their bodies can produce enough dystrophin. Boys more commonly suffer from it because they have only
one X chromosome. Chance mutations also occur.
For information call free 0800 800 337 or see www.mda.org.nz or email info@mda.org.nz
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