Being hospitalized is never fun. Nobody likes having to sleep away from home or being poked by needles and other devices.
Unfortunately, when you’re sick, you don’t have much of a choice— but sometimes, you’re treated to a little surprise that makes the hospital stay less dreadful.
Lindon Becker, 52, is a transporter for the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Back in 1985, he was hired to do a variety of tasks which included bringing patients to their operating rooms, delivering wheelchairs, fetching broken equipment, etc.
From the moment he was hired, Lindon did everything he could to make his patients feel better— but one thing, in particular, made him quickly go viral.
When Lindon brings a patient to surgery, he sings to help calm them down.
He’ll serenade them with anything from gospel and love songs, to country classics like Kenny Rogers and Charley Pride. Oftentimes, if you’re lucky, he’ll even take a request. In an interview, with STAT News, he said:
“A doctor has his part to play, a nurse has her part … I’ve got my part to play.”
Evidence has long suggested that music can have a positive effect on people undergoing surgery. A variety of studies have associated playing music with lower anxiety and pain ratings— regardless of a patient’s age, gender, or the type of surgery performed.
In fact, music had the greatest impact on anxiety when played before patients went into surgery. It may not be a coincidence that this is when Lindon serenades his patients with his soothing voice. Vera Vicentini, 63, who was being hospitalized at Beth Israel for a brain tumor told STAT News:
“He’s [Lindon] not just a man that transports us. He makes us happy. He makes our day bright.”
Jamie Northup, another former patient, wrote: “Oh my God! I love this guy. His voice was so soothing. I battled lymphoma and was in the hospital a lot, and this guy took me a lot through the floors and stuff.”
“His voice was so soothing to my anxiety. He really did perk my mood. Great guy!”
Singing isn’t always easy for Lindon, however.
The transporter used to sing in nightclubs in Massachusetts and Maine before he developed anxiety on stage. He found himself having panic attacks in front of the crowds and couldn’t perform anymore.
Later, when he was hired at the hospital, he would sing to help soothe himself in the face of impending panic attacks. However, soon, others noticed his voice and he started singing for them too.
“When anxiety strikes, your mind goes haywire,” he said. “You have to calm the mind, so [the music] comes to you.”
When Lindon was featured by STAT News, his story quickly went viral.
The video has been viewed more than 3 million times, and people can’t get enough of his kindness or smooth, velvety voice:
“What a beautiful soul.”
“He is an angel! Very, very nice guy!”
“This was just one artist that only shares his passion for those who really need it, and when the time came, he knew this gift could heal.”
Hear the heartwarming story below!
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