NEED TO KNOW
- At 22, Tucker Nelson came upon he had a mind tumor
- The night time earlier than his surgical procedure, his family and friends gathered in his hospital room to learn The Giving Tree
- His girlfriend posted a TikTok of the second that went viral, amassing over 16.5 million views
Tucker Nelson had only one week to course of his mind tumor prognosis earlier than heading into surgical procedure.
Docs found the tumor on Aug. 1, leaving the 22-year-old and his family members little time to totally comprehend what was occurring earlier than the surgical procedure was scheduled for Aug. 8.
His girlfriend, Kiya McLaurin, was at his facet via the entire course of and talks to ipromiseyoumedia solely in regards to the energy of Nelson’s neighborhood.
“We received admitted to the hospital for 4 or 5 days,” McLaurin, 22, shares. “We have been there for a very long time, staying within the hospital, and his pals have been continuously bugging me. They have been blowing on my telephone, saying, ‘Please, can we come over? Please, please, please.’ ”
The night time earlier than his mind tumor removing surgical procedure, his family and friends threw a pizza social gathering within the hospital’s ready room. McLaurin says there have been round 25 individuals who confirmed as much as help Nelson.
When Nelson informed everybody he was getting drained, about 10 of his pals received up and adopted him to his hospital room.
“They did not say something. They did not need the night time to finish in any method. It is a scary factor, so that they did not wish to depart him alone. They adopted him again to his room,” McLaurin shares.
McLaurin had introduced just a few books along with her and instinctively picked up The Giving Tree, one in every of Nelson’s favourite childhood books. Whereas she initially started studying the image ebook as a joke, the load of the phrases tied to the second shortly settled across the crowded hospital room.
“I began studying the ebook, and I received three pages in, and I believed, ‘It is a deep, honest second.’ You would really feel a shift within the room as everybody paid consideration; his dad and mom have been recording, tears streaming down their faces. Everybody’s experiencing a spread of feelings and emotions,” she says.
“It was a surreal feeling. In between pages, I might look up and have a look at folks. There was an awesome sense of belonging and residential, being surrounded by all of the folks that you simply love and all of the those that are gonna love you unconditionally,” she provides.
The Giving Tree has at all times performed a big function in Nelson’s life. McLaurin says when she first met Nelson, he requested her if she had ever learn it. His love for the ebook even impressed a mantra of his: “belief is sort of a tree.”
“He defined, ‘It takes a very long time to develop a tree, for it to be full and regular and have deep roots and construction. It is just like the relationships in your life. After getting your friendships and also you construct your loved ones and also you select your given household, the roots are so deep and structured that it doesn’t matter what, it is arduous to climate them down,'” McLaurin recollects him telling her.
McLaurin says this complete course of has been a testomony to “how deep his roots go along with all people.”
“He is just like the tree within the ebook, the place he offers and he desires all people to really feel supported and beloved,” she says. “Now that it is his time to wish one thing, individuals are keen to offer it again to him.”
McLaurin posted the video of her studying to Nelson on her TikTok account, captioned, “Studying my boyfriend’s favourite childhood ebook surrounded by all his greatest pals & household the night time earlier than main mind surgical procedure will likely be one thing I always remember.”
The video went viral, amassing over 16.5 million views. Just a few of the feedback requested in regards to the medical skilled within the clip, however McLaurin clarifies that he’s their good friend, a respiratory therapist, not Nelson’s physician.
After she posted the video, folks reached out to share comparable experiences, providing help, well-wishes and a way of connection regardless of the circumstances.
McLaurin says Nelson is dwelling and “doing properly.”
“The docs are tremendous impressed that he got here out of surgical procedure smiling and laughing and cracking jokes, in order that was not anticipated by any means,” she shares. “It is greater than we might have hoped for in any facet of that.”
All through the method, McLaurin fastidiously balanced realism and optimism, making certain she relayed all info to Nelson.
“Validating him has been one in every of my largest targets. Having hope is one factor, after which being ready is one other,” McLaurin shares. “It’s a detrimental, arduous factor for us to undergo, particularly at this age.”
“When he is crying, typically I can cry too and really feel the feelings with him,” she provides. “It is a powerful factor to undergo, irrespective of how previous or how younger you’re. It was vital to validate all these feelings as they arrive.”
Being constructive, she shares, “is what Tucker is all about.” The ebook itself turned a post-surgery memento, as Nelson’s family and friends left him notes, writing phrases of encouragement within the first few pages.
McLaurin says there are additionally talks of getting The Giving Tree-associated tattoos, a reminder of the unconditional love all of them share within the good occasions and the dangerous.
