A Queensland toddler who survived a heart attack after a bite from one of the world's most deadly snakes is breathing on his own but his parents still face a nervous wait.
Eli Campbell, 2, was preparing for a move out of intensive care as early as Tuesday after more than a week in hospital, his mum said.
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Toddler bitten by taipan
Two-year-old Eli Campbell suffers a cardiac arrest after being bitten by a deadly coastal taipan in central Queensland. Nine News
Parents Brittany Cervantes and Giles Campbell would have to wait to discover the extent of his brain damage, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain following the cardiac arrest.
But Ms Cervantes was overwhelmingly positive as she told supporters the recovery could take "weeks maybe months".
"Eli is no longer considered 'fighting for his life'," she said on Monday, according to an online fundraising page set up by a family friend.
"Our amazingly strong little man is off ventilation and prepping for a move out of ICU and into a neurology ward as early as tomorrow."
Eli and his mum were collecting eggs on the family's Agnes Waters property on Sunday when the coastal taipan struck, biting the "little battler" three times.
He was airlifted to the Bundaberg Base Hospital in a critical but stable condition but later moved to the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital in Brisbane and placed in an induced coma.
But Ms Cervantes said he could be moved to the neurology ward on Tuesday.
She said the occipital lobe had been worst affected, meaning her little boy faced potential future problems ranging from being unable to recognise objects, to hallucinations and even blindness.
"We have no idea the extent but we also have no expectations," she said.
"We are now ready to walk this path with our little boy, the past is the past and he is changed forever. So are we."
But more than anything, Ms Cervantes wanted to thank her supporters, including the almost 500 people who'd poured in more than $20,000 to a fundraiser in a little more than a day.
"This whole event has really shown us the capacity of the human spirit and seeing so many people come together to help another has been truly a blessing in disguise," she wrote.
"Don't let the media plant their seeds of fear and hate. Humans helping humans is the most powerful weapon there is.
"Unconditional love is why we are all here."