Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – You don’t often hear about someone who is the one giving the gift on THEIR birthday.

But that’s just what retired HSHS St. John’s Hospital Dr. Babu Prasad did, giving $1 million to his former employer to the benefit of St. John’s Children’s Hospital, in honor of his 80th birthday.

The donation was announced Tuesday.

 “I got an opportunity to help St. John’s. I have the dream to give back to this country,” said Prasad. “I love Springfield. I want to make Springfield one of the best cities to live in.”

Prasad’s donation will help the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They will buy, among other things, a new temperature-controlled, encased bed specially crafted for ambulances transporting newborns to the NICU.

“(It is) equipment to provide respiratory support, equipment to provide a different type of updated thermo-regulation, and the ability to provide therapy, such as medicine and IV fluids, more efficiently,” said Dr. Beau Batton, Director of Newborn Services, HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital. Think of it, in some ways, as an incubator that can be transported.

It’s not even the first time Prasad has made such a donation.

“He previously contributed a $1 million gift to our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in 2020,” said Ali Farmer, Director, HSHS St. John’s Hospital Foundation. “Dr. Prasad’s generosity exemplifies his life of service, and his love for his community. This gift will help our caregivers provide advanced care, comfort, and hope to our most vulnerable babies.”