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A retiree was in the news for being renowned as “ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Grandpa.”
The retiree, David Deutchman [DOICH-muhn], used to work as an international marketing executive. He became a guest lecturer in universities like Georgia Tech after his retirement.
Because he needed activities to fill his time, Deutchman decided to volunteer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). For twelve years, he has been going there twice a week to cradle babies in the pediatric ICU (PICU) and neonatal ICU (NICU).
A photo taken by a PICU patient’s mother launched Deutchman to fame. She was surprised when she saw a stranger holding her premature son; the stranger introduced himself as “ICU Grandpa.” The photo was posted in CHOA’s Facebook page, and people commented and shared their stories about the hospital legend. Such stories made Deutchman look back at the rewarding experiences he had with those children.
Several US hospitals’ cuddling programs look for volunteers like Deutchman who are called “cuddlers.” Cuddlers do not feed or change the babies’ diapers, but are tasked to comfort the babies by holding, rocking, or talking to them.
Retiree Melinda Brown, another cuddler at CHOA, said it makes her happy that she can give a hand to families who badly need support. Retiree couple Pat Rice and Claire Fitzgerald [fihts-JEH-ruhld], volunteer cuddlers for over fifteen years at Stanford, said their major focus now is to make an impact on the lives of the patients and their families. Kerry Abbott, a retiree volunteer at Valley Children’s Hospital, said the same. She shared that cuddling babies is heartwarming and has since become her passion.