Premature babies born at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops are going to benefit from a 1-million-dollar donation from a local philanthropist.

Guy Mercier is providing the donation to the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation meant to bolster the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at RIH.

The NICU is located in the new Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Tower.

“Guy Mercier has been a supporter of the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation for over 20 years,” said the Foundation in a release. “He’s a well-known philanthropist in Kamloops who has supported many organizations such as Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops Woman’s Shelter, BC Wildlife Park, SPCA, Prostate Cancer, and many local sporting organizations.”

The donation is in commemoration of Mercier’s mother, Rita C. Mercier.

Mercier’s parents suffered the loss of 4 children all before the age of 4.

“Guy felt that naming the new NICU after her, was a beautiful way to honor her memory and her strength,” said the Foundation.

“Listening to my mother tell the stories of the loss of their newborn daughter and three sons provided a perspective of what many parents go through with a sick baby or toddler. This was one way for my family to impact change,” said Mercier.

“I met Guy when I first started at the Foundation,” said RIH Foundation CEO Heidi Coleman. “His acute attention to the healthcare needs in Kamloops was apparent immediately.”

The money will go toward outfitting each private patient room in the NICU with a refrigerator and sleeper chair so that out-of-town parents can be more comfortable while staying with their newborn babies.

“To create a neonatal environment conducive to natural healing and development, this meaningful donation will also help to purchase Giraffe Beds, essential for the comfort and protection of RIH’s youngest patients,” said Dr. Denise Chapple, Chief of Pediatrics at Royal Inland Hospital.