Atlanta’s ‘ICU Grandpa’ Enjoys A Moment Of Fame For Cradling Premature Babies

The baby inside the crib gurgles a little in response.

“I find it interesting when I’ll sometimes sing to a baby,” Deutchman says. “And you know the baby is like 5 days old. And they stop, and you can see them thinking that’s a sound that I haven’t heard before.”

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Deutchman is a volunteer here, whom the nurses sometimes call the “baby whisperer.”

But these days, the 82-year-old is better known by a better nickname. Deutchman says he got it not that long ago, when he was cradling a little premature baby.

“I’m holding his pacifier,” Deutchman remembers. “And the mom walked in. And she said, ‘I’m so glad he’s being held. Who are you?’ And instead of saying I’m a volunteer in the unit. I said, ‘Oh, I’m the ICU Grandpa.’ And that was the beginning of this entire situation.”

The hospital put the nickname on Facebook with his picture. And the post exploded, shared more than 60,000 times. Deutchman received calls from news outlets around the world.

It’s quiet this afternoon in the neonatal ICU.

Babies lie silently inside cribs surrounded by medical equipment. Then, a cry comes from across the room and Deutchman immediately rushes over.

He takes the pacifier sitting next to the baby’s face and puts it back in his mouth. The baby boy calms down.

“See, there’s no need to cry. You’re OK. It’s all good,” Deutchman says.

This is what he often does in the ICU. He comforts children, by talking to them. Or the nurses just have Deutchman hold the babies.

“As soon as they put the baby in my arms, speaking to them softly and hugging them that has an impact. And you can see it on the kid’s face,” he says.

Babies here can’t always get that attention from their parents because they have to work or to tend to other kids.

Deutchman walks over to twins, a girl and a boy. Their heads barely peek out from under a blanket.

“I had the pleasure of holding this little girl a little while ago,” he says. “These two twins are actually triplets.”

The third baby is at a different hospital. Their mother, Apiffany Purdue, happens to be standing nearby.

“It’s a lot,” Purdue says. “I’m going back to work. I work Monday through Friday. And I go from one hospital to the next hospital. And I have an 8-year-old.”

She says she hasn’t been able to make it here all week, so it’s nice to know Deutchman is around. She gives him a big hug.

“Thank you again,” Purdue tells him. “I appreciate it.”

Deutchman isn’t the only volunteer in the ICU. He just fits the role well. He’s warm and laughs easily.

He’s been cradling children and comforting parents in the ICU for 12 years now, ever since he retired from a career in international marketing.

“A lot of my guy friends, they don’t get what I do,” Deutchman says. “They don’t understand. And I jokingly say I get puked on by the babies. But really there is something far greater than that.”

Deutchman remembers especially one little boy. He was really sick, so Deutchman got to know the family well.

And he saw them years later at the ICU reunion.

“They were there with the baby — I guess he’s 4 or 5 years old now — and he looks adorable. And when it came time to say goodbye, the dad shook my hand and looked at me and smiled,” Deutchman says. “And you know there’s a certain time span that you normally shake hands with someone. Well this was three times longer, and we just stared at each other smiling and shaking. And it’s like words were not necessary.”

Deutchman says all of the attention he’s received has been exciting, but he’s happy to go back to being just a volunteer.

He plans on being the ICU Grandpa a while longer.