A new mom shared the beautiful moment her 96-year-old former paediatrician grandfather asked to give her newborn daughter a checkup at their first meeting.
Rachel, from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Texas, shares an incredibly close relationship with her grandfather, who goes by Poppy, calling him her best friend.
Poppy retired from his work as a pediatrician when he was 60 years old, but he keeps up his medical license requirements yearly.
When Rachel’s first child was born, Poppy was the first one at the hospital to give him his check-up.
And when she found out she was set to welcome a baby girl, Rachel knew she wanted her grandfather to give her a check-up, too.
As Poppy is now older, Rachel accepted that it would be too much for her grandfather to visit the hospital, so she planned a visit with her baby daughter, Reign.
When the pair arrived, on June 12, Poppy already had his stethoscope ready, checking out Reign’s heart in a wholesome interaction that Rachel captured on video.
In a later clip from the same moment, Reign, who was one month old at the time of the recording, could be seen smiling from ear to ear as she was comforted in her great-great-grandfather’s arms.
The check-up clip went viral when Rachel posted it on social media, receiving more than five million views.
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Rachel said: “My bond with my grandfather is one of the most special relationships in my life.
“He is my best friend and confidant.
“I go to him with all the joys in my life and all the hard times.
“He and my grandmother have always been there for me, no matter what.
“He has five grandchildren and five great grandchildren, and he has helped so many children and people in his lifetime and still continues to do that.
“When my son was born, he was the first one at the hospital to give him his check up – and when I found out I was having a daughter, it was so important to me to have Poppy give her a check-up as well.
“Since he’s older now it was too much for him to come up to the hospital, so I brought my daughter over to his house when she was one month old.
“When I walked in, he already had his stethoscope ready to go to check her heart.
“I can’t really put the feeling into words.
“It felt like my heart was going to burst open with joy and contentment.”
