Man Reads Children’s Books with His Friends Before Major Brain Surgery (Exclusive)

Tucker Nelson had just one week to process his brain tumor diagnosis before heading into surgery.

Doctors discovered the tumor on Aug. 1, leaving the 22-year-old and his loved ones little time to fully comprehend what was going on before the surgery was scheduled for Aug. 8.

His girlfriend, Kiya McLaurin, was at his side through the whole process and talks to PEOPLE exclusively about the power of Nelson’s community. 

“We got admitted to the hospital for four or five days,” McLaurin, 22, shares. “We were there for a long time, staying in the hospital, and his friends were constantly bugging me. They were blowing on my phone, saying, ‘Please, can we come over? Please, please, please.’ ”

The night before his brain tumor removal surgery, his friends and family threw a pizza party in the hospital’s waiting room. McLaurin says there were around 25 people who showed up to support Nelson. 

When Nelson told everyone he was getting tired, about 10 of his friends got up and followed him to his hospital room. 

“They didn’t say anything. They didn’t want the night to end in any way. It’s a scary thing, so they didn’t want to leave him alone. They followed him back to his room,” McLaurin shares. 

McLaurin had brought a few books with her and instinctively picked up The Giving Tree, one of Nelson’s favorite childhood books. While she initially began reading the picture book as a joke, the weight of the words tied to the moment quickly settled around the crowded hospital room.

“I started reading the book, and I got three pages in, and I thought, ‘This is a deep, sincere moment.’ You could feel a shift in the room as everyone paid attention; his parents were recording, tears streaming down their faces. Everyone’s experiencing a range of emotions and feelings,” she says.

“It was a surreal feeling. In between pages, I would glance up and look at people. There was an overwhelming sense of belonging and home, being surrounded by all the people that you love and all the people that you know are gonna love you unconditionally,” she adds.

The Giving Tree has always played a significant role in Nelson’s life. McLaurin says when she first met Nelson, he asked her if she had ever read it. His love for the book even inspired a mantra of his: “trust is like a tree.”

“He explained, ‘It takes a long time to grow a tree, for it to be full and steady and have deep roots and structure. It’s like the relationships in your life. Once you have your friendships and you build your family and you choose your given family, the roots are so deep and structured that no matter what, it’s hard to weather them down,'” McLaurin recalls him telling her.

McLaurin says this entire process has been a testament to “how deep his roots go with everybody.”

“He’s like the tree in the book, where he gives and he wants everybody to feel supported and loved,” she says. “Now that it’s his time to need something, people are willing to give it back to him.” 

McLaurin posted the video of her reading to Nelson on her TikTok account, captioned, “Reading my boyfriend’s favorite childhood book surrounded by all his best friends & family the night before major brain surgery will be something I never forget.” 

The video went viral, amassing over 16.5 million views. A few of the comments asked about the medical professional in the clip, but McLaurin clarifies that he is their friend, a respiratory therapist, not Nelson’s doctor. 

After she posted the video, people reached out to share similar experiences, offering support, well-wishes and a sense of connection despite the circumstances.

McLaurin says Nelson is home and “doing well.” 

“The doctors are super impressed that he came out of surgery smiling and laughing and cracking jokes, so that was not expected whatsoever,” she shares. “It’s more than we could have hoped for in any aspect of that.”

Throughout the process, McLaurin carefully balanced realism and optimism, ensuring she relayed all information to Nelson. 

“Validating him has been one of my biggest goals. Having hope is one thing, and then being prepared is another,” McLaurin shares. “It is a detrimental, hard thing for us to go through, especially at this age.”

“When he’s crying, sometimes I can cry too and feel the emotions with him,” she adds. “It’s a tough thing to go through, no matter how old or how young you are. It was important to validate all those emotions as they come.”

Being positive, she shares, “is what Tucker is all about.” The book itself became a post-surgery memento, as Nelson’s friends and family left him notes, writing words of encouragement in the first few pages.

McLaurin says there are also talks of getting The Giving Tree-related tattoos, a reminder of the unconditional love they all share in the good times and the bad.