The message he is sharing on the eve of the Good Friday Appeal is one of compassion, hope and dreams of making the lives of patients just that little bit easier.

Sonny, with his family, and members of the fire brigade will hit the streets of Stawell in the early hours of Friday to raise funds for the hospital.

The tin-rattling for the appeal has been a tradition in Stawell for 50 years with record-breaking donations made year after year - something Sonny said made him proud of his community.

But it's Sonny's tale of how he ended up so passionate about the cause, the hospital, that he hoped would get anyone sitting on the fence and unsure if they should donate, to dig deep and help if they could.

And here is his story...

Before Sonny was born there were early signs the Royal Children's Hospital would play a big part in his life, if he was to make it.

Sharing her pregnancy story, Sonny's mother Toni Hall said complications began when she was about 28 weeks pregnant.

"It's hard to remember so many details - you block it out over the years. Probably because it was such a traumatic experience," she said.

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"I caught slap cheek which then crossed my placenta. Only three percent of people who catch it while pregnant end up with the virus crossing the placenta.

"The whole pregnancy was bad.

"He had three heart attacks on the day he was born. One while he was inside, one while coming out and one when he was out.

"He was dark blue - navy blue. He didn't make a sound. So many doctors were around him and all of a sudden we heard a squeak and we saw a pink tinge coming into his body.

"That was the start of his long journey of heart issues. He had fluid around the heart and cardiomyopathy - a swollen heart."

Sonny's story turns into one of survival as he was born at 33 weeks gestation. Ms Hall said only 10 per cent of babies with the condition survived.

"We started at the Royal Women's and then he was moved over to the Royal Children's," Ms Hall said.

"We spent the first three months and three days of his life in hospital. There was lots of medication, but thankfully, no surgery.

"We are lucky. We were given the choice the day he was born. If I was to have an emergency cesarean they might have been able to save his life.

"If I hadn't made that decision, they said he would most certainly have died and I would have had to have a stillborn."

Ms Hall said the family had to prepare for her unborn baby's funeral before Sonny was born.

"It was pretty awful," she said.

"We rushed his baptism too because there was concerns he wouldn't make it.

"Everything happened in such a hurry and now it has become a big blur of a memory."

Ms Hall said she could remember the feeling of having a panic attack every time she stepped into the hospital due to the unknown situation she would be facing when she saw her baby each day.

"I would walk in and some days a crash cart could be in there reviving him," she said.

"I don't know how many times that happened.

Once Sonny returned home to Stawell, he contracted broncholiths and back to the Royal Children's they went.

"That was about a month's stay, if that," Ms Hall recollects.

After Sonny got the all-clear he was allowed home on monthly visits to the Children's which moved out to less frequent as he grew older.

The family thought they were turning a corner but were once again under the care of doctors and nurses at the Children's hospital to help Sonny with nystagmus in his eye which he was born with.

Nystagmus is a vision condition in which the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements. These movements often result in reduced vision and depth perception and can affect balance and coordination.

"He had surgery to correct this as much as they could," Ms Hall said.

"It was horrible as he was much older - he was about five. They can feel pain. When he was first born I remember asking his cardiologist if he was in any pain. I was assured he wasn't, he was just really tired. Because he was a baby born with it he didn't know any better.

"He was around five and it was during kinder."

Throughout the turmoil of health issues, one thing Sonny can clearly remember is how fun the Royal Children's Hospital was.

"I remember not being able to see for a couple of weeks," he said.

"The people there did a wonderful job. Without them, I wouldn't be here.

"It's nice to know that if something is wrong with another kid out there at least they are going somewhere where there is lots of care and can be fun as well."

Sonny's brother Myles also has memories of the care received on both occasions of their stays at the hospital.

"When Sonny was born I was starting Kinder so it was a lot of weekend trips down to Melbourne," Myles said.

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"I remember they did a lot of things with me as well.

"I was fascinated by the trams. I remember someone organised the tram that stopped out the front of the Royal Children's to say my name when I was on it a few times.

"It was something small - but it has made for a positive experience of something that was so difficult for my family."

Sonny will head out to walk the streets with his family - a tradition he's had since he was able to keep up.

"We've always donated to the cause," Sonny said.

"We're just very lucky we have such an amazing hospital right here in Victoria for kids."

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