Hastings teen's dying wish to thank US benefactors fulfilled

The dreams of one Hastings family have come true, with ill teen Tyler Holdsworth set to fly to the United States today to fulfil a dying wish - all thanks to the Hawke's Bay community.

Tyler is the oldest of 20 in the world who have Timothy Syndrome, a severe cardiac arrhythmia.

It develops spontaneous genetic mutations that interfere with calcium channels and most children don't live through childhood.

He had a life expectancy of five years from birth but has defied the medical odds and is now 18.

He also has Long QT Syndrome, a disorder of the electrical activity of the heart, which can result in blackouts and death.

Today he will fulfil a bucket-list wish by flying to Los Angeles to visit some special people. He will travel with grandmother Brenda Holdsworth, who has raised Tyler and his sister since their mother died when Tyler was 6.

Nearly $3000 was raised for the trip on a Givealittle page, and Havelock North High School surprised the family by holding a mufti day and raising about $1100 for his cause.

Tyler's ticket to LA was covered, but the pair were in for another surprise when they went to the Hastings House of Travel yesterday to pay for Mrs Holdsworth's ticket, which she had "scraped together every last dollar" to afford.

Instead, she was brought to tears when owner Jenny Nilsson explained that both tickets were taken care of.

"Thank you so much," a sobbing Mrs Holdsworth said. "I'm over the moon, I can't believe it. It's just unreal."

Having the extra money meant the pair could go to Disneyland, which Tyler said was the part of the trip he was looking forward to most.

Mrs Nilsson said she had wanted to help the family after learning about Tyler. She thought covering Mrs Holdsworth's ticket would help take some stress off them, and allow them to enjoy the trip more.

"I believe we are all part of a great community and if we can all just give a little, it can make everything a lot better."

The family thanked all those in the community who had helped, especially Havelock North High school.

"They've been a great support to [Tyler] from day one," Mrs Holdsworth said. "They've just been behind him all the way."

In 2014 Koru Care offered Tyler the trip of a lifetime to Los Angeles, where he met Jenny and Shelly, who had heard about Tyler and funded for his teeth to be fixed to stop them from being deformed due to his condition.

Tyler said it was on his bucket list to thank them in person and show them his fixed teeth with his braces on. They would be staying with the pair, who had planned some adventures for the week-long holiday.

Since the age of 13 months Tyler has had a pacemaker and an implanted defibrillator which jump-starts his heart when it stops.