At just seven years old, Bella Thomson has experienced more in her short life than many of us will ever experience in our entire lifetime.

Bella Thomson was born with three rare conditions and has spent over 800 days in hospital and has had over 21 surgeries.

Bella suffers from Hirschsprung disease; a bowel disorder that has necessitated several surgeries. As well, combined immunodeficiency and cartilage-hair hypoplasia has meant that Bella has spent the better part of her young life in and out of hospitals.

While in hospital, social media was the one thing that would keep Bella and her mother, Kyla busy and entertained. 

"It was our only way while we were in isolation, to communicate and to update family," Kyla explains. "I wrote a blog as an outlet and a journal for people to understand our situation. I started using all of the other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to share stories and advocate for medical needs for kids. And then I started using Tik Tok because it made me laugh."

Little did they know how far those videos would reach. In no time, Bella went viral on Tik Tok when one of her videos racked up 12 million views.

Kyla now uses Tik Tok and Instagram as a platform to support parents whose children may be in a similar situation.

One thing that Kyla says has helped her remain strong throughout this journey is her faith.

"I think, before Bella, I was lazy with my faith. I never had any family member or friend who went through anything medically very, very serious like this or long term. I just didn't see it," says Kyla. "That sort of world didn't exist so I kinda had this mentality, not that I was bulletproof, but that I didn't have to work as hard to talk to God or trust in him."

"Since having Bella, she's just strengthened my faith. I've grown a stronger craving for God because I know I need him whether things are easy or hard."

Today on Connections, her mother, Kyla, shares her daughter's amazing story and the role that faith has played throughout their journey.