Many of us wait anxiously for the day that we get to retire. We can’t wait to kick back and relax while the world hurries around us.
That is, until you are actually retired and find that there isn’t much to do. It can get old (no pun intended) rather quickly.
It isn’t uncommon to hear many retirees say that they are bored with their “new life.” That is why many of them take on hobbies and pursue their interests much more fervently with the extra time.
One retiree found a way to fill his time that not only made him feel good but also made a positive impact on the lives of others.
David Deutchman retired at 65-years-old in 2000. He worked as an international marketing executive and was used to a much busier lifestyle. But he always found joy whenever he worked with children. In fact, after retiring, he gave guest lectures at universities in the Atlanta area.
“Everything I found fulfilling was working with kids,” he said in an interview with Now This.
He began looking for opportunities to volunteer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. At first, he started by teaching the children in the hospital but it wasn’t long before he found a niche in a much more “hands-on” area.
“I started holding babies almost immediately,” he told Mass Mutual.
David noticed the parents of children who were either born prematurely and unhealthy rushing back and forth from their lives outside of the hospital to their newborn. Some children didn’t receive visits from anybody at all.
David saw a chance to make a difference and the ‘ICU Grandpa’ was born.
One day, he was given a baby to hold. One of the workers noticed how the baby took to him and how well David was holding the baby. Since then, David has held over 1,200 babies at the hospital.
But there’s more to holding a baby than one might think. David is so good at it, he’s been dubbed “the baby whisperer.” Simply because anytime a child is crying, they stop once they are in his arms.
According to Angie Hawthorne, a clinical nurse expert, aside from comforting babies, holding them can also help to mitigate their pain, which is especially important for the types of babies that David holds. As they are always going through so much.
David volunteers twice a week. On Tuesdays, he works in the pediatric ICU and on Thursdays he’s at the neonatal ICU. While he spends the majority of his time with the babies, he’s gotten to know the parents very well.
In the pediatric ICU, he says he spends much of his time with the parents. Understandably, many of them are stressed and worried. David is someone who listens and comforts the parents in addition to helping comfort their newborn babies.
When he held the baby of a mother who seemed overwhelmed, a photo was taken and shared on her Facebook page where it went viral.
Although he spends much of time with newborns, he also spends time with older children as well. It isn’t uncommon for him to become a part of a child’s life and stay by their side as they get older. Many families consider him as another family member.
Everybody around David seems in awe of his actions but to him, it was never a difficult choice.
“Choosing to be soft is very powerful,” he said. “If everyone were a little softer, the world would definitely be a better place.”
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