Messages of courage and solidarity poured in on the social media after it was announced that young triathlete and inspiring hero Jake Vella had been urgently rushed to hospital.

The nine-year-old boy encountered respiratory problems and could not communicate with his family. He was rushed to Mater Dei's Intensive Therapy Unit yesterday evening.

A post asking for people to pray for the young boy appeared on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon, and within minutes hundreds had reacted to the news with their comments of courage and solidarity.

Jake Vella battles one of the rarest conditions in the world, ROHHAD NET, which he shares with only about 75 people. Due to his condition, Jake keeps gaining weight no matter how much he exercises or diets, and even though he leads one of the healthiest and most active lives ever, his condition will only deteriorate as he gets older. No one with ROHHAD has ever lived past the age of 20.

Two years ago, the then six-year-old boy had won the hearts of millions around the world when his condition was made public. Last month, his fulfilled his lifelong dream when he met his heroes the Brownlee Brothers.

The Brownlees are twin brother triathletes who together hold a number of Olympic and World Championship titles.