THE daily battles these little heroes fight takes no small dose of courage and determination.

The Examiner wished to celebrate the bravery of these four Northern Tasmanian children so enlisted the help of The Examiner graphic artist and recent Marvel Comics recruit Patrick Brown to reimagine the kids as superheroes.

It took no stretch of the imagination for Brown to draw the children as their chosen character.

"I really wanted to try and make something special for these kids, " he said.

"I'm sure they deserve it."

The children - Oliver, Grace Orchard, Kaije Archer and Caleb Baker - were gifted with glossy prints of Brown's art kindly framed by Whitelaws Picture Framing at an afternoon tea at The Examiner office on Friday.

PARENTS Katelyn Boon and Greg Archer had cause to celebrate when their son Kaije reached 10 kilograms.

The two-year-old was born with congenital nephrotic syndrome and spent the first four months of his life in hospital in Melbourne.

The condition means little Kaije has faulty kidneys that drain his body of important proteins, requiring him to visit the Launceston General Hospital several times a week for four-hour protein infusions.

Without the albumin infusions Kaije's body swells and he becomes sick.

Eventually, the syndrome could lead to kidney failure.

But things look positive.

Ms Boon said the bubbly Youngtown boy had enjoyed a strong year without complications and had finally reached the weight necessary to go on the kidney transplant waiting list.

"He's doing really well at the moment - he hasn't been sick enough to go to Melbourne and he's as healthy as he can be," Ms Boon said.

"We're waiting on the results of my mother, who's donating her kidney, so it's a waiting game."

Ms Boon said that like any mother she was nervous about the impending surgery but that the family kept their fingers crossed the results of her mother's tests were positive.

"It's scary, but at the same time if it's going to make him healthy it's better," she said.

BEECHFORD woman Kirstie Schreuder makes sure to quickly touch wood when she describes the positive year that her son Oliver has had.

Oliver, six, has tracheoesophageal fistula and oesophageal atresia , meaning he was born with a join between his windpipe and food pipe but no link between his mouth and stomach.

Ms Schreuder explained that the rare and life-threatening condition caused many problems, including tracheomalacia and the potential for Oliver to get fluid stuck in his lungs.

She said he was also prone to recurring chest infections and pneumonia.

A baby Oliver spent more than the first week of his life in hospital, and the years since have been filled with regular hospital admissions.

But new antibiotics and care from George Town GP Tim Mooney have the Star of the Sea pupil on the right track.

A proud Ms Schreuder said Oliver did not let his condition stop him.

"He is such a smart, hard-working, happy little boy," she said.

NABOWLA girl Grace Orchard does not let arthritis get in her way.

About two years ago the eight-year-old was diagnosed with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a process that took a number of weeks.

Mum Rachael Evans explained Grace left school early one day in March 2013 with a temperature hovering around 39 degrees.

The next three-and-a-half weeks were filled with hospital visits and blood tests. Grace struggled to walk or even sit up.

"All her blood tests kept coming back negative in everything," Ms Evans said.

"They admitted her to hospital and the first thing they thought she had was leukaemia."

She was sent to Melbourne and finally diagnosed.

"It was so much of a relief, but there was also some sadness," Ms Evans said.

Ms Evans said Grace's first year with arthritis was punctuated by flare-ups but the past year had been relatively pain-free thanks to the hard work of Launceston General Hospital staff.

Grace visits the hospital every fortnight for treatment and Ms Evans paid tribute to LGH play therapist Tash Pursell.

Ms Evans also thanked the stranger who once gave Grace a teddy in a random act of kindness - Ms Evans said Grace still had and loved the bear.

It joins the toys Grace continues to play with, even when suffering from aching joints.

"She'd rather play in pain than not at all," Ms Evans said.

"She's really got the right attitude."

CALEB Baker laughs, talks and high-fives like any boy his age - it is hard to believe that five months ago parents Kelly Clark and Myles Baker were told their four-year-old might never properly walk or talk again.

Caleb was hit by a car after running on to the road at George Town on February 21.

Ms Clark and Mr Baker feared the worst and were initially unsure whether Caleb would even make it through the ordeal.

The bubbly George Town boy has not just survived but thrived, making a remarkable recovery thanks to his positive attitude, his young age and the dedication of his loving parents.

Ms Clark said the family was "stoked" by the progress that Caleb had made.

"He's really good now. He's still got a lot that we're working through but he's coming along really well," Ms Clark said.

"His speech has improved and his mobility has improved

"We're pretty overwhelmed really with not just how well he's doing but the support we've had too."

Caleb is due to start school next year, and Ms Clark and Mr Baker are determined to ensure that he starts at the same level as his peers.

The family still helps Caleb with daily play-based exercises to further strengthen his speech and mobility.

Ms Clark said that aside from regular nightmares and a tendency to tire quickly, Caleb was up to 80 per cent "back to normal", according to doctors.

"He's always got a smile on his face."