There’s something powerful about music—it reaches us on a primal level, making us laugh, cry, reflect, and find courage. A good song can ease stress, calm the mind, and lift the spirit.
Just ask Lindon Beckford, a patient transporter at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Singing since childhood, Beckford uses his voice to comfort both himself and others as he moves patients through the hospital.
“I was always singing at work,” he said. “It was a comforting thing… but then I realized people were listening.”
Seeing how much it helped, Beckford made singing part of his daily routine. After more than 30 years, he’s learned to choose songs that soothe anxious or pained patients.
“At the end of the trip, they tell me, ‘You made this so much easier because of your singing.’”
For Beckford, music is simply love in action. For his patients, it’s reassurance that everything will be okay—a priceless gift delivered in song.