When Nicole Powell’s youngest son, Tripp, was born with Down syndrome, she feared that her other children would be “ashamed” of him. She was wrong. A precious moment she captured on camera proved that she didn’t have to worry.
Rayce, her second child, was six years old at that time. Tripp, six weeks, is cradled in his arms.
The song “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber can be heard playing in the background, and then Rayce begins to serenade his little brother.
He sang: “I’d spend 10,000 hours and 10,000 more, oh, if that’s what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours. And I might never get there but I’m gonna try. If it’s 10,000 hours or the rest of my life I’m gonna love you.”
Nicole shared the adorable video on Facebook in December 2019. Since then, it has been viewed 3.8 million times.
The caption explains that Rayce bonds with Tripp through singing to him every day. Not knowing that the song is about a husband and wife, the boy tells her that it’s about him and his brother.
“Love doesn’t count chromosomes, or as Rayce says, “Aren’t we all different?” Nicole, a police officer in Cabot, Arkansas, wrote in the caption.
Nicole captured the footage on her iPhone and sent it to JJ. Rayce and Tripp’s bond was too special not to share so Nicole posted the clip on social networking.
“It’s amazing,” Nicole said about the reaction to her video. “I had wondered our purpose—of why now do we have a baby with Down’s syndrome. I think maybe it was to bring love and awareness.”
“People are so terrified of what can happen. But he’s perfect,” she added. “It’s super scary but parenthood is scary in general. I’m so proud of my sons.”
Tripp was born on November 21, 2019. He spent one month in the NICU. His entire family visited him every single day. He was finally allowed to go home on Christmas Eve.
JJ and Nicole discovered that Tripp was likely to be born with Down syndrome after scans. Doctors suggested they terminate the pregnancy, but they refused.
Initially, Nicole admitted they were apprehensive about the situation because she wasn’t educated about Down syndrome and hadn’t been around anyone who had it.
She also worried about how her other children would treat their little brother.
“I thought, ‘I have four other children, they all love each other, I just want them to love him the same way they love each other,’” she said.
The couple then explained the condition to their children early. Although they didn’t know much, they told them what they had learned.
“We told them it just means he will be different but he’s still your brother. The boys answered and told us ‘but we’re all different.’ And we were like ‘okay, this is going to be fine,’” Nicole said.
Aside from Rayce being a natural sweetheart, Nicole and JJ’s effort to introduce their children to Down syndrome is a significant factor in the kids’ acceptance of their little brother. They definitely did an excellent job as parents by teaching their sons and daughters to treat everyone—even those different from them—with kindness.
Tripp, who is now two years of age, still shares the same loving bond with Rayce (and the rest of his siblings) You can follow TeamTripp on Facebook to keep up with Tripp’s latest life events.
You can see Rayce and Tripp laughing in the video.
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