The first thing you notice when you meet 17-month-old Isaiah Bell is his huge smile.
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What isn't so obvious is how brave he is and the challenges the little boy has faced since his birth in November 2022.
Before he was even born, Isaiah's parents Kelela and Kyle Bell knew he had a heart issue, that meant he would be born at Queensland Children's Hospital. But his complex conditions meant the family would stay there for six months while Isaiah received treatment.
Isaiah was born with four defects in his heart, and esophageal atresia, with a random connection between his lungs and stomach.
This means he was born without a food pipe. It took two and a half months to grow so it could be attached to the stomach.
Isaiah's medical conditions have required multiple surgeries, medical interventions, admissions, blood tests and appointments.
He has had three major surgeries and several minor surgeries since being born, but is powering on.
Kelela said it has been difficult, but Isaiah's happy nature has helped make it more bearable.
"Nurses loved him. He'd always be smiling and willing to talk to them, even when he was getting needles and cannulas. I think that's why he's progressing well."
Isaiah still makes regular trips to the Lismore Base Hospital Children's Ward and trips to Brisbane to manage his medical conditions.
"We're still finding things out about his medical condition," Kelela said.
Isaiah has two older sisters Kelani, 4, and Gianna, 3.
Kelela is full of praise for Our Kids who she says were very accommodating in helping her look after all of the children while Isaiah got treatment.
She says small things like giving all of the children toys as gifts made a difference to their family.
To recognise Isaiah's courage, Our Kids will be presenting him with the Suzie Levot Memorial Our Kids Bravery Award at the charity's Our Kids Day Out on Sunday.
Isaiah has been in and out of the Children's Ward since the family, with sisters Lelani and Gianna moved to Lismore.
The staff at Lismore Base Hospital's Children's Ward unanimously thought Isaiah should be the recipient this year.
They say Isaiah and his family have shown great strength and resilience through this journey.
"Isaiah truly deserves to be centre stage at the Our Kids Day Out celebration," Our Kids Fundraising Coordinator, Rebekka Battista said.
Kelela says she's happy about the award and agrees that her little boy was pretty special.
"We didn't know when it was going to end - we spent weeks and weeks (at hospital). He was constantly getting pricked and tested to figure out what was going on," Kelela said.
Despite the treatments, Isaiah always has a trademark smile.
"Isaiah has a fun personality. He's always smiling. He's starting to crawl around now, which is good. He can't walk yet. But he likes to talk."
Isaiah loves playing with his older sisters and, much to his mum's delight, has developed an interest in opening and closing doors - especially in the kitchen.
"He's very social when he's in a good mood - wanting to talk to everyone and smile.
"He'd always get comments no matter where we are when we ward rounds, like 'He's so happy', despite what he's gone through."
