Australia's 'Coke can kid' celebrates new milestone

Jonathon Heeley was born weighing just 374 grams, almost the exact weight of a can of Coke, leading him to be infamously dubbed with the moniker.

At one time, Heeley held the Australian Guinness Book of Records title for the smallest premature baby survivor.

He is now approaching his 30th birthday and remains the smallest surviving baby ever born at Brisbane's Mater Hospital.

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Born at just 28 weeks gestation in 1992, Heeley was given a five percent chance of survival.

He stayed in hospital for five months after he was born, and when he finally went home his discharge papers read "future unknown".

"I feel so lucky to live every day," Heeley said. "It's so surreal and sometimes scary to think back on how small and fragile I was.

"I've had quite a normal experience growing up without any health issues. I would hope to say my birth has paved the way for what doctors can do now to save other premature babies."

His mother Gail Heeley, 66, said giving birth to her only child was an emotional rollercoaster.

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"Mater Neonatologist Professor David Tudehope, who has retired, told me there were only five babies born in the world born the same size as Jonathon that had survived, and there was no reason he couldn't be another one.

"I grabbed onto that – it gave me hope."

Three decades on, Heeley is happy and healthy, living in Hervey Bay and running his own dance school.

He also opened Regional Queensland's first Performing Arts High School and is working as a senior theatre technician at the Brolga Theatre in Maryborough.