In more than eight years, he has had plastic surgery on his nose many times.

The first operation involved taking skin from the inside of his ear to his nose, but it has never gone back to normal.

One of Jacobs’s biggest challenges is when he gets a cold.

As he doesn’t have a proper nostril it causes difficulty in breathing.

Another obstacle Jacob has come across is name-calling and people staring at him. “It is very noticeable,” Mrs Power said.

During Jacob’s last visit to the hospital he met a young boy who helped him realise that there are people worse off than he is, although frequent trips to hospital affect his day-to-day life.

A.J. Parker, of Peterhead, was sharing a room with Jacob and at only six years old has spent more time in hospital than most children.

He has a rare condition known as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome that turns the tiniest bumps into big bruises or cuts.

He is severely double-jointed which causes dislocations without warning and he spends a lot of time in pain.

During Jacob’s three days in hospital before Christmas he became great friends with A.J. as they played Play Station and XBOX and coloured in together.

Jacob and his mother got to know A.J. and his family well and no longer see it as a hindrance to be travelling to and from Adelaide so often.

“I don’t worry about the costs when I know what they have been through,” Mrs Power said.

Mrs Power and Jacob want to make the community aware of disorders like this one that make life so hard for their new friend.

“We have gone through a lot, but after seeing him we want people to be aware,” Mrs Power said.

For further information as well as to be able to find out what you can do to help, visit http://groups.msn.com/AustralianE hlers DanlosSupportGroup