Mum left in tears after meeting 'ICU Grandpa' who cared for her premature baby

One mum was left in tears after arriving at the intensive care unit where her premature baby was staying, to find him in the arms of a kindly old man.

Staff at the Children's Healthcare Unit of Atlanta captrued the sweet moment and posted the snap to their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/ChildrensHealthcareofAtlanta/photos/a.374292508185.161226.356527358185/10155628323873186/?type=3

'They call him the ICU Grandpa,' they captioned the image. 'On Tuesdays, he visits the PICU to hold babies whose parents can’t be with them that day. On Thursdays, he makes rounds in the NICU.'

'This photo was taken by baby Logan's mom as she fought back happy tears. Logan has been in our hospital for six weeks.'

'Every night, his mom goes home to be with his big sister,' they explained. 'Every morning, she drives back to Scottish Rite feeling “anxious that he's been missing his mommy.”'

'On this particular morning, she walked into the PICU to find Logan—a preemie born at just 25 weeks—in the arms of David, who smiled and introduced himself as the ICU Grandpa. This photo captures just one precious moment with a legend of a hospital volunteer who's been holding patients, and their parents' hands, for 12 years.'

The heartwrenching post has received loads of attention online, racking up nearly 64,000 shares and 10,000 comments.

'He rocked our baby for countless hours,' wrote one commenter. 'What a wonderful gift he has, and what a blessing it is that he shares that love with others.'

Images: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Another wrote: 'I spent many an afternoon chatting with David...while he mostly takes care of the babies, he used to take care of me, too! I always looked forward to his visits at my baby's bedside!'

David's own family have since become aware of the viral post and commented to express their gratitude.

'I've known David as a special man for 53 years -- he's my dad!,' the post read. 'To read the thousands of comments and see the outpouring of affection is very moving to our entire family. Thank you for recognizing my dad. He truly loves what he does.'