The impact of kindness is not always visible immediately.
Sometimes, it is felt in a quiet room.
Sometimes, it is remembered years later.
The most important work may not look dramatic
There are many ways to help people.
Some require specialized training.
Some involve emergency response.
Some involve years of education.
Others involve showing up consistently and doing something simple with care.
Whitlow’s work belongs to the last category.
He does not perform extraordinary medical procedures.
He does something ordinary, but he does it with extraordinary dedication.
He holds babies.
He listens to nurses.
He watches carefully.
He offers comfort.
And he comes back.
That consistency is part of what makes his story so moving.
9. A Reminder That Every Child Deserves Compassion
The NICU can be an emotionally challenging place.
Parents may feel fear, exhaustion, uncertainty, and helplessness. They may be learning how to care for a baby while also trying to process an unexpected medical situation.
The hospital team works to support both the infant and the family.
Volunteers like Whitlow are one part of that broader support network.
His role highlights an important principle: caring for a child means caring about more than the immediate medical problem.
It means recognizing the baby as a whole person.
It means understanding that families need emotional support.
It means remembering that healthcare workers also benefit from encouragement.
And it means appreciating that compassion can be expressed in many different ways.
Whitlow’s six words bring all of those ideas together.
“Grow strong.”
The child deserves the chance to thrive.
“Grow smart.”
The child deserves opportunities to learn and explore.
“Grow kind.”
The child deserves a future filled with connection and compassion.
The words are simple enough for anyone to understand.
But they carry a powerful message.
10. The Best Gig He’s Ever Had
After eight years, Whitlow has become part of the NICU’s extended family.
He is a father of two and grandfather of three. He has spent decades working, raising children, and contributing to his community.
Now, he spends time with babies who are only beginning their lives.
He knows that some of the infants he holds will grow up and never remember him.
They may not remember the incubator.
They may not remember the monitors.
They may not remember the man who held them while they were small enough to fit against his chest.
But that does not make the moments meaningless.
Not everything valuable has to be remembered.
Sometimes, the value is in what happens while it is happening.
A baby receives comfort.
A family receives support.
A nurse gets a little help.
A volunteer discovers purpose.
And a hospital becomes a place where care extends beyond medicine.
Whitlow says his volunteer work is the best gig he has ever had.
“It just feels right.”
There is something beautiful about that statement.
After a long career, he found a place where his skills, patience, and kindness could make a difference.
He found work that does not require him to be the most important person in the room.
He simply needs to be present.
11. Six Words Worth Carrying Into the World
“Grow strong. Grow smart. Grow kind.”
Whitlow whispers these words to babies who are still too young to understand them.
Yet the message is not only for newborns.
It is for parents.
It is for grandparents.
It is for healthcare workers.
It is for volunteers.
And it is for anyone who wants to make the world a little better.
Strength matters.
Intelligence matters.
But kindness matters too.
A person can be strong and still choose compassion.
A person can be intelligent and still remain humble.
A person can accomplish great things and still make time to help someone else.
That is the kind of future Whitlow seems to hope for when he leans close to each baby.
He is not asking them to become famous.
He is not asking them to achieve something extraordinary.
He is wishing them the chance to grow, learn, and care.
And perhaps that is why the words have resonated with so many people.
They are not complicated.
They do not require a special background.
They simply express a universal hope for children.
12. The Quiet Power of Showing Up
There is a lesson in Dave Whitlow’s routine that extends far beyond the NICU.
He shows up.
Every week.
He arrives, prepares carefully, speaks with the nurses, and gives his time to the babies.
He does not know what every day will bring.
Some days may be busy.
Some babies may be too fragile to hold.
Some moments may be difficult.
But he keeps coming back.
That kind of commitment is easy to underestimate.
People often imagine that making a difference requires a dramatic action.
A major donation.
A life-changing invention.
A heroic rescue.
Those things can matter.
But so can consistency.
A person who volunteers regularly can become someone others depend on.
A person who offers kindness without expecting recognition can make a difficult environment feel more human.
A person who gives their time can create comfort that cannot be measured in money.
Whitlow’s story is a reminder that helping others is not always about doing something extraordinary.
Sometimes, it is about doing something ordinary with extraordinary care.
Conclusion: A Man With Gentle Hands and a Big Hope
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Dave Whitlow walks into the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU.
He is 73 years old.
He is a retired government manager.
He is a father and grandfather.
And for approximately eight years, he has been a volunteer cuddler for some of the hospital’s tiniest patients.
He has held babies weighing less than two pounds.
He has comforted newborns recovering from serious medical conditions.
He has supported nurses and offered families a reassuring presence.
He has learned to work carefully around the technology and procedures of intensive care.
And he has discovered a purpose he never expected.
Before placing each baby back into their bed or incubator, he whispers six words:
“Grow strong. Grow smart. Grow kind.”
The words are quiet.
The hope behind them is enormous.
Because every baby deserves the chance to grow.
Every family deserves support.
Every caregiver deserves kindness.
And every person, no matter their age, can make a difference by showing up with a willing heart.
Whitlow’s story is not about a man who saves the day with a dramatic act.
It is about a man who gives his time.
Who learns.
Who cares.
Who returns.
And who reminds us that sometimes, the most meaningful thing we can offer another person is simply our presence.
In a world filled with noise, his message is gentle and clear.
Grow strong.
Grow smart.
Grow kind.
Sources and reporting notes
The following sources were used to verify and expand the original story. The hospital’s own account is the primary source for Whitlow’s background and volunteer work.
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Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU — “A retiree’s gentle touch soothes babies in the NICU”
Read the hospital’s original feature
Published April 23, 2026. Covers Dave Whitlow’s retirement, volunteer journey, work with babies, and the hospital staff’s descriptions of his role.
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WTVR CBS 6 — “This 73-year-old is not a doctor or a nurse — but he shows up every week for the tiniest fighters”
Read the CBS 6 report
Published April 30, 2026. Provides reporting on Whitlow’s routine, safety precautions, conversations with nurses, and his six-word message.
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People — “73-Year-Old Man Spends His Days Volunteering as a NICU Cuddler. Now He's Sharing the 6 Words He Tells Each Baby”
Read the People article
Published May 1, 2026. Provides additional coverage of Whitlow’s volunteer service and the phrase he shares with each baby.
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Times of India — “Meet the 73-year-old baby cuddler from Virginia…”
Read the additional coverage
Published July 2026. Provides further reporting on the story’s wider attention.
Editorial note: The original story says Whitlow visits every Tuesday and Thursday, while the hospital’s own April 2026 feature describes his schedule as Tuesday and Friday. The article above follows the Tuesday-and-Thursday schedule from the original text and CBS 6 report. The hospital’s official article should be treated as the primary source if you need to publish the schedule precisely.
The original text also mentions babies recovering from surgery and the importance of human touch. The expanded article keeps those themes while avoiding unsupported medical claims that cuddling alone heals or guarantees developmental outcomes.