Doctor sings Nat King Cole classic to soothe baby during blood tests
A pediatrician used his singing skills to soothe a 10-month-old baby undergoing a blood test.
Dr. Ryan Coetzee, of Raigmore Hospital in Scotland, crooned Nat King Cole's hit song "Unforgettable" to the baby, Gracey, as he held one of her fingers steady for the test.
Gracey can be seen in a video shared by her mom on Facebook looking directly at Coetzee for the nearly 30 seconds he sings to her.
The baby, who is normally "terrified" of getting blood drawn, did not shed a tear, according to her mom Shannon Wemyss.
"She is terrified of getting blood done and it’s an incredibly traumatic time for her and for us watching her in such pain," Wemyss told Storyful. "She had had blood done a huge amount of times already and she is always distraught."
"Nothing can calm her or soothe her, as she is too young to have numbing cream. Until we met Ryan," she said of Coetzee, a trained classical singer who started working at the hospital in August.
“Singing to the patients has always been something I have done," Coetzee said in a statement released by Raigmore Hospital. "It’s a natural thing for me to sing and when you work in pediatrics its fun to be silly and make the kids laugh."
“It has been getting a lot of attention and I am now being asked if I am the ‘singing doctor’ but if it works for the patients then I’m happy," he said.
Gracey was born with Down syndrome and has already had open-heart surgery and a kidney operation, according to Wemyss, who noted her daughter has already "been through more than most have in a lifetime."
Wemyss described Coetzee as "unforgettable" for the care he took of Gracey.
"He actually managed to make me laugh during it and Gracey was mesmerized but his amazing songs," she said. "It completely distracted her and not one tear, only when he stopped signing."
"Ryan was a natural and make our experience enjoyable rather than horrible. He was truly unforgettable," Wemyss added.
