A man of action: As a "welcome angel" 566 hours on the job
Created: 05/27/2022, 09:26
By: Ulrike Osman
The passionate cyclist Elisabeth Deichsel also rides her e-bike to visit the families she supports.
© pw
When a baby is born, your whole life changes.
The new everyday life is exhausting and can push parents to the limits of their resilience.
But there is help in the form of the "welcome angels".
Such an angel is Elisabeth Deichsel – the man of action in the month of May.
Gröbenzell – The Gröbenzell native has been supporting young mothers in the first few months after giving birth for twelve years.
Even as an eight-year-old, Elisabeth Deichsel preferred looking after the neighbors' children to playing with dolls.
She later became a pediatric nurse – a profession that she filled with body and soul.
But when she moved to Bruck with her husband from Stuttgart ten years ago, she didn't want to start again in a new clinic at the age of 60.
First use for twin pairs
But a job was still needed.
Any job that should have something to do with children again.
A flyer drew Elisabeth Deichsel's attention to the wellcome angels, a voluntary service for families shortly after the birth of a baby - a job made for the energetic pensioner with a big heart for children.
At that time, the wellcome angels did not yet have a location in the Brucker district.
Elisabeth Deichsel joined the facility in Dachau, but her first assignment brought her to Gröbenzell.
A family with newborn twins needed help, and not just because of the double baby happiness.
The father was ill.
The mother tore herself between taking care of the children, going to the doctor with her husband and other appointments.
Once or twice a week, Elisabeth Deichsel stood by the family for three hours.
This corresponds to the usual support from the wellcome angels.
But she was also there when there was a spontaneous need.
Experienced intensive hours
Later, when she had long been supporting other families as part of her voluntary work, Elisabeth Deichsel continued to take care of the Gröbenzell family privately.
According to the official list, she gave a total of 566 hours of her time to 13 families with 38 children, including four pairs of twins.
"Actually, that's not much," says the 70-year-old modestly.
But these are intensive hours, especially when there are several children to look after.
Always keep calm
The idea of being alone with screaming twin babies and older siblings can make some sweat on their foreheads.
Elisabeth Deichsel is not at all upset about something like that.
Because of her expertise alone, she was ideal for such tasks.
Only once in all those years has she had to call a mother and ask her home because a little girl just wouldn't calm down.
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She has always held back with good tips for the young parents.
She says it's not her place to give unsolicited advice.
Anyone who volunteers or knows someone who does volunteer work can take part in the “Mensch der Tat” campaign.
Applications are possible via www.ehrenamtsboerse-lkr-ffb.de.
If someone suggests someone else, the nominee must sign the application before it is returned.
This is done either by email to ehrenamt@buergerstiftung-lkr-ffb.de or by post to Ehrenamtsbörse, Münchner Straße 5/ 3rd floor, 82256 Fürstenfeldbruck.
A jury consisting of representatives of the community foundation, the VR-Bank and the district office selects the winners.
© mm
Sometimes Elisabeth Deichsel found it difficult to keep her mouth shut – for example, if a mother didn't wash her hands before breastfeeding or if the children weren't kept clean enough.
She herself sent every child to wash their hands after the playground and everyone did it well.
(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular FFB newsletter.)
The wellcome angels are now also available in the local district as part of the Brucker Forum, not to be confused with the “Welcome to Life” baby visitation program offered by the Brucker community foundation.
There it is about one-off counseling sessions, while the wellcome angels support families for a few months for a small fee.
Anyone who can no longer get help
During the Corona pandemic, Elisabeth Deichsel was doomed to inactivity and almost had too much time for her hobbies (“reading, reading, reading and cycling”).
Now the mother of two daughters and grandmother of two grandchildren hopes to be back in action soon.
"We are there for every mother who feels a little overwhelmed," says the 70-year-old.
You can also take advantage of the offer if you don't have multiple births, older children, health problems or other difficulties, but just want to catch your breath.
Elisabeth Deichsel is still in contact with her very first twins, even though they have been living with their mother in Stuttgart for a number of years.
The father, who was seriously ill when the children were born, has since died.
Just recently she called the children – and congratulated them on their 10th birthday.
You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.
