Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston is just like any other hospital – it’s full of patients who are at their most vulnerable, and want nothing more than to be at home.
But there’s one person who acts as a shining light in the hospital, helping many of the patients get through their stay, keeping their minds positive and their heads empty of troubles.
That person is Lindon Beckford.
Lindon has worked in hospitals for more than 30 years. He’s a transporter, or porter, and his job is to transport patients who have just been operated on to their wards.
Anyone who has spent time in a hospital will know that, when you’re feeling disoriented from anesthesia and anxious about your health, having a porter who can put a smile on your face can make a huge positive impression.
Lindon knows all too well how fearful and nervous a hospital patient can get.
He’s been in the job long enough to have seen it all. And that’s why he takes his role, which many people may consider to be unimportant, very seriously.
When Lindon first meets a patient, he wastes no time in introductions, telling them his name and explaining that he’ll be their “chauffeur”.
After that, once Lindon and his patient are acquainted, he does what he loves the most: sing.
For nearly 31 years, Lindon has sung to every one of his patients. Explaining his need to sing at work in an interview with STAT, he explained:
“I was always singing as a child, so it was just a natural thing. I was always around music, so I did that just to comfort myself, but all of a sudden, I came to realize that people was [sic] listening to me.”
It wasn’t long before Lindon was deliberately singing to patients, even asking them for requests. He admitted:
“From the moment I meet up with a patient, I make sure it’s going to be unusual.”
Unusual is one for it – but “special” is probably a more accurate description of Lindon’s singing.
Lindon doesn’t just sing for himself. His songs provide much-needed comfort to his patients. He even tailors his song choice to suit a patient’s personal backstory.
For many patients, spending their short time with Lindon makes all the difference. The transporter humbly admitted:
“At the end, when I get them from their procedure back to their room, they will tell me, you know, ‘You make this trip from here to there so much easier because of your singing.'”
Sometimes, Lindon’s patients even join in singing with him.
Lindon said that harmonizing with his patients is something he will “never forget”. It’s certainly something that his patients will think back on fondly, too.
Luckily, we don’t have to become hospital patients in Boston to listen to Lindon sing. A video shared to YouTube of him in action went viral, with more than 3.5 million views to date.
It seems that everyone has the same opinion of Lindon – he’s a true hero in his hospital, and his kindness and compassion deserve recognition.
But for Lindon, his singing is simply a part of who he is.
He’s cheered up by his own singing, and hopes to cheer his patients up, too.
Scroll down and press “play” to watch an interview with Lindon, and a few clips of him singing to his patients, just below.
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