SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Six teenagers who have endured long hospital stays, multiple operations, major surgery and other medical procedures are using their life experiences to help others just like them.
"Doing this made feel like I'm not alone," Brittany Naylor said.
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The teenagers teamed up with singer songwriter Sarah Fortsch to pen the song "Hymn Of Our Hearts." The teenagers are part of Wish Upon A Teen, a nonprofit organization that helps teenagers facing life-threatening medical conditions.
Fortsch wrote the music and the chorus while each teen wrote a verse for the song.
"We had each kid one at a time. We had them go record their part. So some of them rapped, some just spoke, some of them sang and it was really, really cool," Fortsch said.
Trevor Sullivan, 17, needed a heart transplant in 2015, months later there were complications.
Sullivan aimed for perfection while writing his verse.
"Knowing that this is going to go out in the world and people are going to have to hear this and stuff," Sullivan said.
Suffering from Moyamoya disease, Desi Smith, 17, homed in on how she gets through her days when writing her verse for the song.
"So I hope that everybody takes away the fact that you can't really get hung up on one terrible day," Smith said. "And that the next day is going to be better."
The song was recorded at Mix Factory One Studios in Southfield. Owner I.V. Duncan saw this as an opportunity to give back.
"I've been one of those teens before," Duncan said. "I used to have epilepsy."
Naylor, a 22-year-old neuroblastoma survivor, sees the importance in making a bad situation good.
"Some people are more fortunate than others and they don't have to experience what these hardships we do," Naylor said. "And it's about connecting through these hardships."
Hope Sovran, 21, has spina bifida and had a bone marrow transplant. She said she was a little nervous recording the song but really enjoyed it.
“It was a blast,” Sovran said.
"Hymn of Our Hearts" is available for download on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.
Everyone involved in the project hopes to inspire others with the song.
"That's what we hope this song does as well, people that are listening to it, they can also feel empowered. They can also feel just confident and brave as well just like these kids are," Fortsch said.
The following teenagers took part in the writing and recording of the song: Naylor, Sullivan, Smith, Sovran, John Daniels and Keegan Daniels.
Money raised for the song supports Wish Upon a Teen, which offers programs to help teenagers dealing with major illnesses.
To check out the music video, click here.
Fortsch and the teenagers will perform the song at the 6th Annual Mojo’s Wish Upon a Prom at the Emagine Theater Royal Oak on Saturday. More than 140 teenagers with severe medical illnesses will be in attendance.
To learn more about Wish Upon a Teen, click here, or call Nancy Sovran, executive director, at 248-890-1281.