Louis Mapp is 81 years old. Once a week, he drives to the hospital by car, spending about an hour on the road. Despite his advanced age, an elderly man helps to take care of infants in the intensive care unit.
It all started when Louis saw a program on TV about nurses and volunteers of the neonatal intensive care unit in Alabama. Premature and sick babies are cared for there. Louis himself has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, and he was very touched by the topic of the program. He decided to become a volunteer too.
Some parents can’t be around their babies around the clock, so volunteers help the nurses take care of the newborns. Louie’s duties include cuddling, nursing, and feeding the babies.
“I like watching the expressions on their faces when I rock them. When a baby smiles, it just makes you want to do something for them. I hold these little ones and think about who they will become,” says Louis.
After volunteering in the intensive care unit for some time, Louis and his wife Melinda decided to give a gift to the hospital. Through the Mapp Family Foundation, the couple donated $1 million to the children.
Louis said, “I am 81 years old, and every day I ask the Lord, ‘Show me someone who needs help.’ It doesn’t have to be material help. Maybe someone needs a ride or a phone call. As long as I’m here, I’ll do everything I can to help others.”