Leo, believed to be Australia’s only primordial dwarf, has faced a range of health issues over his 15 years yet always makes time to raise funds and awareness for KidzWish.

Leo was the first ambassador for the Illawarra children’s charity and on Tuesday he used that role to appeal for donations for its Giving Tree campaign.

‘’I took the job (as ambassador) for a reason – to help people,’’ he said. ‘’I want to get the (giving) tree full of leaves of support for local kids like me.’’

Unlike many other forms of dwarfism, Leo’s bones and organs are in proportion to his size. However his rare condition means while he is set to turn 16 in July, he is only 92 centimetres tall.

He wears kids’ size two or three clothing, but is most comfortable in the superhero clothes his parents Pauline and John fashion for him.

‘’I want to be a superhero,’’ he said. ‘’I can run, I can fight and I’m strong. But I do have a weakness – a kryptonite – that sometimes holds me back.’’

He’s referring to the countless aneurysms in his brain that could one day prove fatal. Just last year, surgery to treat his aneurysms nearly turned deadly.

‘’He had intercranial surgery to relieve pressure on his brain but during the operation an artery in his leg was crushed by the robot being used to close it,’’ Mrs Lagana said. ‘’They think it malfunctioned because of his size.’’

A partial transplant with a bovine synthetic material to repair the artery was successful but meant Leo was in a coma for two days and is still recovering.

‘’We’ve always had to adapt – Leo’s like a square peg in a round hole, he never quite fits in,’’ Mrs Lagana said. ‘’From prams and car seats when he was young, to hospital equipment that’s not made to cater for someone his size.’’

The Kanahooka couple share a faulty gene – the pericentrin gene – which means while they have two adult children over six feet tall, they also have little Leo.

‘’When he was born he was a quarter of the size of an average baby,’’ Mrs Lagana said. ‘’Traditionally those with primordial dwarfism reach up to 130cm but I doubt Leo will reach that.

‘’He knows his limitations and it frustrates him and can make him grumpy. But he’s also great fun – he keeps us in stitches. It’s just amazing having him in our lives – we feel truly blessed.

‘’We’ve met so many people through Leo – everyone wants a piece of him although there’s not a lot of him to go around.’’

Ms Lagana said KidzWish had helped the family in many ways – including funding a trip for Leo to attend a Little People’s Convention in New York in 2009.

The KidzWish Giving Tree funds the Appeals Program which provides financial support or equipment to Illawarra kids who are sick, disadvantaged or have a disability.

The tree is located at Stockland Shellharbour, while donations can also be made at the six local branches of KidzWish sponsor The Greater Building Society.