Turlock High senior Nihal Gill has penned a book with the goal of bringing hope to parents of premature babies. A former patient in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Doctors Medical Center, Gill used his and his family’s own experiences as the inspiration for the project.
“The idea came about that as I was growing older, my mom would tell me stories of the emotional roller coaster of when I was a baby,” said Gill.
Born prematurely at 27.5 weeks, Gill spent the first two and a half months of his life in the Level III NICU at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto. Gill said he hoped the book would help alleviate the worry and anxiety of parents with preemies.
In “I May Be Small but I Am a Lion at Heart,” Gill presents an inspirational children’s book narrated by a premature baby in the NICU. Gill and his mother recently visited the NICU team at Doctors Medical Center to donate several copies of his book, which he autographed. He also read the book’s dedication aloud for the team: “To my mom and grandma, who spent hours in the NICU every day praying for me and being by my side as I learned to survive in a new environment. To my neonatologist for giving my family hope and courage when they had no idea what to expect with the birth of a premature baby. To the warm-hearted and wonderful NICU staff at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, California, for their compassion in providing the best care for the tiny miracles who depend on them.”
“It was a really cool experience; they were really appreciative,” said Gill about his trip to the NICU.
He is planning future trips to other NICUs in the region to share the book. “I May Be Small but I Am a Lion at Heart” is available for purchase online at Amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble. All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to March of Dimes and The Tiny Miracles Foundation.
When he isn’t writing inspirational books, Gill is working with the nonprofit Be the Star You Are to create episodes about health, technology and other topics for Teen Radio. He is a National Merit Community Service Award winner and also enjoys playing sports, especially golf.
