Follow River’s journey through music, art, little victories, and the love he expresses.
Meet River
River is the little warrior behind Hearts With River.
His journey has touched so many people throughout the world and we are grateful for the amazing community of people surrounding River.
If you are new here, the Meet River page is the best place to begin.
Music Video
Music has always been part of River’s world, and he is the inspiration behind this song. When I wrote the song, I was sitting at the piano with River on my lap. When we recorded the song in the studio, River was present at every stage. When I was singing, River was right in front of me. And when we filmed this music video together, it became an experience I will never forget.
Ways to Support River
So many people support River with prayers, kind comments, shares, songs, encouragement, and love.
Some people also choose to support River’s journey financially. There is no pressure. We are grateful for every person who walks with River in any way. You can donate via:
More from River
Daily moments, photos, reels, and the community walking alongside River. Come say hello!
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What River Loves
River’s spirit shows in the moments he loves most, the sounds of the music we play, the colors of his world and the people we share our adventures with.
Our little man loves music. He reacts so much when we play the drums together, sing, or share little music time. He also loves to paint — we put the brush in his hand and help him with the movements. It becomes like a dance or a workout, and River shows us his excitement.
River enjoys being part of everyday family life. It is so special for him to have a little sister. Daisy thinks about River a lot, and often brings him a stuffed animal or a towel without anyone asking. It is so sweet to see them together.
Every little change we see in River, no matter how small, is a victory. We live in the moment with him, because he is perfect right now — he wants love, attention, fun, games and connection, like the nine year old boy he is. River reminds us every day to be present.
River’s Art
River loves to paint. We place the brush in his hand and help him with the movements. It’s kind of like a dance or a workout, where River gets to move, pick colors and express himself. We have made River’s paintings into greeting cards, mugs, shirts, canvas prints, shoes and other pieces people can get in the shop. Every purchase helps support River’s therapies and the next steps in his journey.
More Music From the Journey
Tout est possible was the first song I released for River.
It is a half English, half French song where I talk to River about an adventure. I was raised in both languages, and I love speaking French to River. With French, we can express love and emotion in a completely different way.
Latest on YouTube
New moments from River are usually posted to YouTube first — his latest videos, music, story updates, and little victories.
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![Friends, here is an important video. A lady named Trisha sent us a study which explains a lot about how aware brain injured kids can be despite how much they can express due to their injury. Thank you so much Trisha! Here is the message and more about the study:
Yes, brain injury survivors after drowning—particularly those with severe anoxic brain injury (ABI)—are frequently aware. Medical research indicates that many survivors who are unable to speak or move remain awake, alert, and fully aware of their surroundings, a condition commonly referred to as locked-in syndrome or Conrad Syndrome.” [source chip: UT Health Sa]
The research is led by Dr. Peter Fox, a neurology and radiology professor there, and the big study was published in the journal Pediatric Neurology in November 2023. His team used MRI, functional MRI, and PET scans to look at the brains of children who survived drowning — 154 of them in the larger study.
What they found. In about 60% of the children, the injury was focal — concentrated in the motor pathways (the wiring for movement and speech) — while the networks for vision, hearing, touch, cognition, and language were largely preserved. In plain words: the part of the brain that lets a child move and talk is damaged, but the part that lets them see, hear, understand, feel, and be aware is often still working. Dr. Fox's own words: "Even in the most severely affected of the children, we have evidence that at least the machinery for awareness of themselves and others remains functioning." And: "This is a new syndrome. It's not taught in medical school. This is all new neuroscience."
Why it's called "Conrad Syndrome." It's named after Conrad Tullis of San Antonio, the first child the institute imaged. He survived a drowning in 2004 and lived to age 20. His mother, Liz Tullis, pushed this research forward through a parent group and the Conrad Smiles foundation. Her line is the heart of the whole thing: "The fact that these children are 'in there' has never been communicated to the medical community." That phrase — "they're in there" — is the rallying cry of this research.
Sources: UT Health San Anto](https://www.heartswithriver.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
