In January of 2020, a video surfaced on Facebook featuring a young boy named Rayce from Arkansas singing the Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber song “10,000 Hours” to his baby brother Tripp. The video quickly went viral, capturing the hearts of people all over the world. What made the video so special was the fact that Tripp was born with Down syndrome and had just returned from the ICU at the time the video was filmed. Rayce would sing the song to his baby brother to calm him down, and his mom, Nicole Powell, captured the touching moment on her phone.
According to Good Morning America, Tripp was just six weeks old when the video was filmed. During his stay in the hospital, he was continually loved by his family, including his brother Rayce, who would visit him every day after school and tell him all about his daily tasks. Powell says that Rayce and Tripp have had a strong bond since day one, and it’s evident in the video that Rayce’s singing brings Tripp a sense of comfort and peace.
The lyrics of “10,000 Hours” are a perfect match for Rayce and Tripp’s special relationship. The song talks about spending 10,000 hours to get to know your heart, and that’s exactly what Rayce has been doing with his baby brother. He talks to Tripp about his day, sings to him, and shows him the kind of love that can only come from a sibling.
Make sure to attain the tip of this text to see the complete video 🙂
Powell posted the video on Facebook to bring awareness to Down syndrome and to destigmatize the disorder. In the post, she reminds people that love doesn’t count chromosomes. She writes, “Aren’t we all different?” It’s a beautiful reminder that everyone deserves love, regardless of their differences.
Powell admits that she was scared when she first learned of Tripp’s diagnosis while pregnant. However, all of her doubts disappeared when Tripp was born, and she heard him cry for the first time. In a follow-up post on Dec. 30, 2020, Powell urged expectant mothers not to be afraid of their baby’s Down syndrome diagnosis. She wrote, “That baby will be such a gift to your family in so many ways, and I promise his/her siblings will love them like no other!”
On Tripp’s birthday in November of last year, Powell shared her experience of her youngest child’s birth. It turns out that Tripp’s welcome to the world was not easy. Powell was on her way to a routine doctor’s appointment, and quite late in her pregnancy, as she explains in her post. She mentions that she had already had problems carrying one of her other children to term, but everything had looked fine so far for her latest pregnancy. However, during the checkup, the doctor’s reaction to something he saw caused her to worry. Seconds later, she learned that her fears were justified, as the doctor had some unfortunate and urgent news.
“He said, ‘I’ll be right back, let me go grab something.’ He goes back out, I looked over at JJ immediately and told him something was wrong, I just knew it. He walked back in with the nurse and checked again. They both looked at each other and looked at me. I remember instantly getting a lump in my throat. He said, ‘we have to go right now and get this little one out by c section,'” Powell shared.
The baby’s heart rate was dangerously low, which meant little Tripp had to “get out now.” Powell admitted the experience was terrifying. “I remember still feeling Tripp kicking and not even caring if he had Down syndrome anymore I just wanted him to live,” she wrote
Did you find Tripp and Rayce’s sweet exchange just as sweet as we did? Let us know and make sure you pass this along to your friends and family!