First time author Danielle Vassell’s new book, Rebecca The Courageous Tot, is deeply personal. Like the main character, she was born prematurely and overcame tremendous odds not only to survive, but thrive. Here is her story as told to BBrit Project.

I have always been blessed. It began with a mother who after being diagnosed with preeclampsia when pregnant and given 10 minutes to decide whether to keep me, and risk her life, chose me.

She and my dad were my constant champions as I struggled in those early days. I was born weighing 1lb 4oz, less than a bag of sugar, the size of my dad’s hand. Doctors gave me a zero to 5% chance of survival.  If I did live, they said I would be brain damaged, and blind. But against all odds I left the hospital a healthy 7lbs after a five-month stay in a London hospital’s neonatal unit (NICU).

Over the years, I have kept strong ties with the hospital (King’s College), visiting every year on my birthday from age five to 21. I would stop by the incubators and the intensive care units and say hello to the parents. I loved putting a smile on their faces. Some of them would even get tearful. I knew they were thinking, if I could make it, then their baby could too. 

You might wonder why I wanted to write a book about such a difficult experience. Believe me, growing up I wanted to hide from it. I struggled a little. I was very reserved, physically small and sometimes slow to respond in the classroom and did poorly in exams.

But my grandmothers and my mom told me to embrace my story. ‘You were born prematurely for a reason, that’s who you are,’ they said. A tutor helped me too. When she selected me to be a student representative and for high profile events like a visit to 10 Downing Street, that was the turning point. I started speaking about my journey of overcoming the odds. Entwining my birth experience with getting over things like bullying, really resonated with a lot of my peers. I ended up graduating and going to university where I obtained my business management degree.  

I see my book as another opportunity to help. My middle name is Rebecca, the same as one of my grandmas. Before she died, one of the last conversations we had was about doing a project like this. So,  I got up one morning earlier this year and told my mum about the book idea, then made a list of everything I wanted in it from illustrations, to the theme, to the structure.

Once I had that nailed down, like with everything I do, I reached out to people who I thought could really help with this vision. And, they did so willingly, people like Luis, my illustrator who is amazing. When I got the proof, it made me a bit emotional. I thought about how this idea, formed just four months before, had itself defied the odds.

The book is just one way I am supporting my community. In 2022, I started my podcast, Tiny Tots Defying the Odds, that focuses on everything from the preemie journey to navigating through grief, to balancing being a single mother to a medically complex miracle. I am supported by Lucy, a wonderful editor who has been with me since the beginning. And in January 2024 I was invited to join the board of directors of the American-based Preemie World Foundation, working on the UK side of things. We want to highlight the NICU journey, including those in Black British communities. This is important when you consider that between 2020 and 2021, 8.7% of African Caribbean babies were prematurely.

For now, I’m focused on getting the book out to the public. It will soon be in the NICU’s family reading room at the Northampton Hospital Neonatal unit. I also plan to share it with my old neonatal ward and everywhere I get the opportunity to tell my story. I wrote this book and do all I do because I have a passion for the NICU community and I just want to be there and give back, to be a light and radiate love in a family’s difficult moments.

Rebecca The Courageous Tot is available on Amazon.