For many of us, seeing Israel Folau's online fundraiser for legal costs climb higher than appeals for Australian children facing life-threatening illnesses was plain wrong.
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To Woonona mother Nyree Saxby - who has spent seven years raising funds for a cure for daughter Chloe and other children with the same rare disease - it was heart wrenching.
But it was the rugby player's justification for seeking $3 million for a 'legal action fund' to fight Rugby Australia over the termination of his contract that really added insult to injury. It was his comment that he had the "fight of my life" on his hands, that saw Mrs Saxby take to social media in despair.
"Ridiculously, within hours, his page had raised more than any other cause on the site, racing past children and adults who are truly fighting for their lives against cancer, brain tumours and rare diseases like Chloe's Vanishing White Matter disease," she stated in a Facebook post that was supported by thousands on Saturday night.
"It wasn't until he made the statement 'I have the fight of my life on my hands' on his GoFundMe page that it really got to me - him thinking that what he is facing is the fight of his life. Comparing his legal campaign against Rugby Australia to a person actually fighting for their life?"
On Sunday, Mrs Saxby told the Mercury that she hadn't expected the reaction the post received, and had certainly not written it to discredit Folau.
She just thought it "beyond comprehension" that the devout Christian felt his legal stoush with Rugby Australia as important as the health battles faced by too many Australians.
"The saddest part is that the little girl pictured next to his cause, Princess Piper, actually passed away on Thursday night - that's what made me furious," she said. "People can donate to whatever they want to donate to - he obviously has a lot of followers who are supporting him.
"For me, it was more the infuriating fact that he used that line and he has no idea what it actually means to be in the fight of your life."
Mrs Saxby and her husband Grant started fundraising seven years ago when Chloe was diagnosed with the rare, terminal brain disease at just three years old.
Chloe is no longer able to walk, and the cruel disease will eventually take away her ability to hold her head up, talk, see, hear and eat. There is no treatment, nor cure.
To date the Saving Chloe Saxby fundraising campaign has raised more than $1.4 million to fund three research projects - including one at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute.
In five days, Folau's fundraiser had surpassed $660,000. That money will be used to fund his defence against the termination of his contract for breaking the players' code due to controversial social media posts, including one deemed to be homophobic.
"Everyone's entitled to their own beliefs, I understand that and the world would be boring if we all believed in the same thing," Mrs Saxby said.
"But it's been seven long years for us and I just think that some of our sports people and celebrities are completely out of touch with reality. Imagine if they used their status for a greater good."
To support the Saving Chloe Saxby campaign visit chloesaxby.com.au
