When 4-year-old Nyah Bailey needed a new treatment recourse, her mom helped her discover the power of helping others to ease her own fear of change. After successful therapy for low immunoglobulin levels, Nyah is now being treated in the Division of Hematology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for neutropenia — a low count of a certain white blood cell. At the end of 2023, Nyah’s medical team decided her care plan required weekly injections.
“As the shots started, we thought it wouldn’t be a big deal,” Nyah’s mom, Julia, says. “She’d already had over 200 needles. But she had such a hard time.”
Book Cart and fund a year’s worth of additional
books hand-selected by Nyah.
Nyah’s parents tried everything to make the process easier for her, to no avail. Julia decided to write a story about getting shots and how they help keep Nyah healthy. The story, which Julia turned into a book titled The Tot That Needed a Shot, worked, and soon Nyah was requesting it be read before every weekly dose to help her feel brave.
Although the book worked for Nyah, Julia knew there were still other kids at CHOP who were struggling with their own fears, and she wanted to do something to help. Together, the Bailey family decided to launch Nyah’s Book Cart and fund a year’s worth of additional books hand-selected by Nyah, for children at the Hematology’s Bone Marrow Failure Clinic to pick out and take home. Nyah decorated the cart herself, and copies of The Tot That Needed a Shot are included on the shelves.
Now the cart not only helps Nyah, but other children just like her.
“We were interested in a gift that would benefit everybody and allow Nyah to participate in helping other kids. Now, she comes to CHOP excited because she’s had a direct hand in making a difference, saying, ‘let’s check on my book cart’ to see if kids are taking books. It’s really become a special part of the process for her,” Julia says. “Many times, as grateful CHOP families, we think that we can’t make a difference unless we donate large amounts, and that’s just not true.”
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When 4-year-old Nyah Bailey needed a new treatment recourse, her mom helped her discover the power of helping others to ease her own fear of change. After successful therapy for low immunoglobulin levels, Nyah is now being treated in the Division of Hematology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for neutropenia — a low count of a certain white blood cell. At the end of 2023, Nyah’s medical team decided her care plan required weekly injections.
“As the shots started, we thought it wouldn’t be a big deal,” Nyah’s mom, Julia, says. “She’d already had over 200 needles. But she had such a hard time.”
Book Cart and fund a year’s worth of additional
books hand-selected by Nyah.
Nyah’s parents tried everything to make the process easier for her, to no avail. Julia decided to write a story about getting shots and how they help keep Nyah healthy. The story, which Julia turned into a book titled The Tot That Needed a Shot, worked, and soon Nyah was requesting it be read before every weekly dose to help her feel brave.
Although the book worked for Nyah, Julia knew there were still other kids at CHOP who were struggling with their own fears, and she wanted to do something to help. Together, the Bailey family decided to launch Nyah’s Book Cart and fund a year’s worth of additional books hand-selected by Nyah, for children at the Hematology’s Bone Marrow Failure Clinic to pick out and take home. Nyah decorated the cart herself, and copies of The Tot That Needed a Shot are included on the shelves.
Now the cart not only helps Nyah, but other children just like her.
“We were interested in a gift that would benefit everybody and allow Nyah to participate in helping other kids. Now, she comes to CHOP excited because she’s had a direct hand in making a difference, saying, ‘let’s check on my book cart’ to see if kids are taking books. It’s really become a special part of the process for her,” Julia says. “Many times, as grateful CHOP families, we think that we can’t make a difference unless we donate large amounts, and that’s just not true.”
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Pediatric Comprehensive Bone Marrow Failure Center