When Isaiah Salisburyreceived a package in the mail containing a Heart Kids T-shirt and a name tag he was "really excited".
It meant the 10-year-old Whangārei boy would be one of about 90 Kiwi kids with congenital heart defects attending a special camp in Auckland this week run by Heart Kids - an organisation providing care and support for children, young people and families affected by childhood heart defects.
"I was really happy. When they sent me this package I was even more happy because you need the T-shirt and name tag so that they know who you are. I was real happy to get this," Isaiah said.
Isaiah had heart surgery when he was 3-months-old for three heart conditions - patent ductus arteriosus, a condition where a blood vessel that allows the blood to skip the circulation to the lungs doesn't shrink and close after birth; a ventricular septal defect, a hole in the wall separating the two lower chambers of the heart; and an artrial septal defect, a hole in the wall between the heart's upper chambers.
The Camp Braveheart is the second Heart Kids camp Isaiah has attended. His mum said she liked Heart Kids events because they empowered Isaiah.