KEY POINTS:
Roderick Catuday started last year fighting for his life, after finding out he had cancer.
But 2009 will signal a fresh start for the Filipino immigrant, who says he has only one resolution for the New Year - to stay alive.
"I never expected to be alive to even see the New Year, but now that I have been given a second chance, all I wish for is to stay alive and enjoy every minute of being alive," said Mr Catuday.
"Simple things like breathing in the fresh air, or being able to watch flowers bloom, have come to mean a lot to me since my close encounter with death."
Mr Catuday was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in January, but because it was discovered while he was awaiting his two-year work permit - already approved - to be issued by Immigration New Zealand, he was ineligible for publicly funded treatment.
Other than NZ and Australian citizens or residents, only people with at least a two-year work permit qualify for public health funding.
David Simpson, a consultant haematologist at North Shore Hospital, said at the time that Mr Catuday would have only months to live if the cancer went untreated, and that he might not see Christmas.
In desperation, Mr Catuday wrote to the Government for help, and friends started a fundraising campaign. Donations poured in after his plight was reported in the Herald - but it was not enough to pay for his chemotherapy, which was estimated to cost about $150,000
Having given up hope, Mr Catuday, 42, went from writing letters of appeal to drafting farewell notes.
But after a series of stories in the Herald, the Department of Labour, which oversees immigration, told the newspaper in April that it had decided to grant Mr Catuday the two-year work permit after all. Mr Catuday described the day the Herald broke the news to him as "the best day of my life".
For the past nine months, he has had to live with a catheter in his chest, and lost most of his hair because of the chemotherapy treatment - but he says it still feels great just to be alive.
"I just can't thank the Lord enough," said Mr Catuday, a Christian.
Social worker Agnes Granada, who highlighted his plight to the Herald and spearheaded the initial fundraising campaign, said the Filipino community was thrilled that he had responded well to treatment.
"The family have kept us updated of his progress, and sent us a photograph just before Christmas. We are all happy for him, and for his family, that they will still have their father and husband around," Ms Granada said.
Mr Catuday is married to Emilita, 41, and they have three children: Louise, 16, Gerick, 15, and Danielle, 12.
In the last email circulated by the family, they said: "Praise be to God ... Miracles was bestowed upon us which is beyond imagination. Knowing you are not alone in this kind of plight makes Roderick's spirit hold on and looking forward for total healing and fast recovery".
Their dream is still to tour New Zealand one day, but with a family holiday being out of the question under present circumstances, Mr Catuday said they did the next best thing - attended a church camp in Muriwai together just before Christmas.
Mr Catuday says finances have been tight for the family since he stopped work - but he is not complaining.
"Money cannot buy love and money cannot buy life."
