What's a Seventy-Year-Old Doing in the NICU?

Almost every day for the past 12 years, David Deutchman, a man in his seventies and retired, shows up at the NICU of a children's hospital in Atlanta. There, he helps hold and comfort premature babies whose parents are unable to be with them at that moment. No one, except the staff and the parents of the infants, knew about his dedication to these babies—until the mother of one of the preemies took his photo and posted it on the hospital’s Facebook page.

It was a typical story for Deutchman. The woman's son, a preemie born at 25 weeks, had been in the NICU for six weeks. Since the mother also had a toddler, she had to return home every evening. Each morning, she drove back to the NICU, worried that her baby was missing her. But one day, she returned to find David Deutchman holding her little boy. It turned out that Deutchman was known as the "NICU Grandpa" and volunteered to hold babies whose parents couldn’t be there.

Medical studies have shown for many years that physical contact is crucial for the proper development of premature infants. Accordingly, Deutchman not only helps parents alleviate their guilt when they are absent—he also aids in the healthy development of the preemies.

The post on the hospital’s Facebook page went viral, attracting thousands of comments, many from grateful parents who warmly remember Deutchman's assistance. "He held our baby for hours upon hours," wrote one woman. "It's a wonderful gift, and a great blessing that he shares this love with others." Another mother noted, "Knowing there was someone there holding my baby was a tremendous relief—I hated leaving him but had to care for my other son as well."

And Deutchman himself? When a local TV station came to interview him about his long years of volunteering in the NICU, he simply said, "I get peed on and vomited on in the NICU—but it’s still the best job I’ve ever had!"