A Palmerston North man's cheeky fundraiser for his cousin's cancer treatment has seen his backside branded with his friend's face.

Miles Newman, 23, set up a Trade Me auction promising the winner permanent ink space on his behind in the design of their choice as a fundraiser for his cousin Caleb Arnold's cancer treatment.

The right to mark Mr Newman's "beautiful, plump, baby-like left butt cheek" was won by his Christchurch-based friend, Dylan, for $1250.

But the winnings were bumped to $2000 for the honour of imprinting his mate's backside with a shot of his face, a double-handed thumbs-up and a dog's head.

"I knew he was going to bid on it, but I didn't really want him to win," Mr Newman said.

The fundraising scheme of selling the rear-end retail space was "absolutely worth it".

"I'm helping my cousin out, helping my family out, in any way I can.

"I got given a lot of stick for it, but it's the things you do for your family, you know, especially because he's not going to be around for too long."

Mr Arnold's family raised more than $10,000 for him to attend a 10-day cancer retreat programme at the Ian Gawler Foundation in Melbourne last month.

"He lasted for about two days and was put into hospital because his lungs were filling up with fluid," Mr Newman said.

He was operated on in Australia to remove the fluid before being brought back home to recuperate.

"He's my cousin, he's only 20 years old, I've known him all my life and he's on his death bed.

"It's hard, really hard, because I just didn't expect it to happen so soon and they're telling us that it's weeks, not months." Mr Arnold was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in his thigh when he was 18.

The bone was removed and replaced with a donor bone, followed by several months of chemotherapy.

A year later he was diagnosed with lung cancer and had two operations, including the removal of part of his lung.

The cancer has spread to both lungs and the family were told before Christmas that it was terminal.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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