ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A nine-year-old boy’s story about receiving a life-saving heart transplant and waking up a hero is being brought to life by a full symphony orchestra in Albuquerque.
At just five years old, Hunter Rael received a life-altering diagnosis: “In 2022, Hunter was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which led him to need a heart transplant,” explained Hunter’s mother, Anna Moya.
Moya says that after receiving his first heart transplant in November 2025, Hunter faced major health complications. “He had coded for 15 minutes, which resulted in him having some scar tissue around the new heart,” said Moya.
This meant that he would have to go into surgery again. “He got that second heart transplant at the end of February. And since then, everything has been going good. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go home pretty soon,” shared Moya.
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While in recovery at a hospital in Denver, the Sing Me A Story Foundation reached out to Hunter and his mom and asked him to write a story. In return, they would turn that story into a song just for him.
“It could be fantastical. It can be about real life. It can be a mix of the two. We really don’t care. We just want to give them the chance to share,” said Executive Director of Sing Me A Story, Dee Fretwell…