Editor’s note: When a MorristownGreen.com contributor posted video of a bagpiper near Morristown Medical Center, the hospital decided to investigate. This article is reprinted with permission from the Atlantic Health System.
By Jenna Orlando
A stroll across the Route 287 overpass near Morristown Medical Center in the evening could lead to an unexpected bagpipe serenade.
The mystery “piper” is Atlantic Health System’s Mitch Mallon, 34, a nurse in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
In his eight years in the N.I.C.U., Mallon said the passion for his work has only grown. Mallon is working toward an advanced degree to become a nurse practitioner, but still finds time for his other love — playing the bagpipes.
Mallon said it’s a necessity after long days in a unit that most would consider a stressful and often emotional environment.
“It’s a huge release at the end of my night, especially if I have a rough night,” Mallon said. “To get out there and play for a half hour or an hour is relaxing and something fun for me.”
Due to long shifts and limited breaks, the times and places where Mallon plays are somewhat unusual.
A woman recently left MMC after visiting a family member. While walking from the hospital, she heard the sound of music and curiously followed it down Franklin Street to the Route 287 overpass, where a man dressed in scrubs was playing the bagpipes to an “audience” of passing cars.
“I turned toward her and I got a little startled because there was someone there and I could see the light from her phone out of the corner of my eye,” Mallon said.
Mallon didn’t speak to the woman, who had taken a video of him. For Mallon, this wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary, although the video ended up published on MorristownGreen.com.
Video by Maureen Denman
Mallon tries to play every day but, because his time is limited and he wants to be considerate of others in his apartment building at night, he has taken his “pipes” to the streets. Morristown residents often approach him, listen to his music, ask occasional questions, and walk away smiling.
While music always has had a place in his life, he only began playing the bagpipes in 2009. A friend of his is a piper in a band, and Mallon would enjoy his tunes at the annual Morris County Saint Patrick’s Parade.
Inspired to learn, Mallon ultimately joined the band, known as the Rory O’Moore School of Pipes and Drums. The group of 30 pipers meets weekly and performs at competitions.
Positive reactions aren’t limited to the strangers who spot Mallon on the streets. Combining his talent with thoughtfulness, he sends co-workers recordings of him playing “Happy Birthday” to surprise them on their special day.
One colleague saved the recording, and plays it for a lift during her day.
“Sometimes I just play it to put a smile on my face,” she said.
