HARVEYVILLE, Kan. (WIBW) -- A Harveyville man has overcome great odds to win a national award.

Tony Bell, 29, was born with a rare birth defect. His intestinal organs were intact, but they stopped short, so Bell had no opening.

"The best way to describe it is the good lord didn't split me down the backside and the doctors had to," said Bell.

Doctors worked to create an opening for Bell but it was never quite right. He struggled growing up with incontinence, and had trouble facing his peers.

"Kids were pretty cruel when I was in high school and junior high and grade school, making fun of what I had," said Bell.

When bell was nine, he and his parents had had enough. They decided to get him a permanent colostomy.

That's when bell's life opened up. He could run and play and be a normal kid.

After 19 surgeries, Bell finally felt right. And he knew he wanted to spend his life riding bulls.

"He said he wanted to ride bulls and I said over my dead body! No! I began to realize thought that he was very disappointed when I said that," Cindy Bell, Tony's mother said.

So bell started training and by the time he reached college, he was a professional rodeo bull rider.

"Without experiencing it it's hard to describe. It's an absolute rush of a lifetime and it really made me feel alive," Bell said.

Bell rode for two years professionally.

Now he's a beacon of hope for those with similar problems. He mentors children with ostomies, and he won the 2009 Great Comebacks award for his inspirational story and contribution to his community.

"Never in my life have I been honored for just living my life," Bell said. "And the way I see it is I'm not anyone special, I've just learned to live with what I have."

Bell wants to share his experiences and message with others.

"Don't ever let anything stand in your way. If you have a goal or a dream. Follow it. You have to grab life by the horns and really just go with it."

What's next for Tony? He's planning a trip to climb Mt. Everest at the end of this month.

Fore more information on Tony Bell's story and the Great Comeback awards, visit: www.greatcomebacks.com and ibdawareness.com