Let the doctors do the humane, we'll do the humorous

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clowns

"Let the doctors do the humane,
we'll do the humorous"

Children's Hospital Boston's Chief of Radiology
George Taylor, MD,
followed the
Children's Clown Care
team with a camera
to chronicle their
amazing work. He quickly
found that this group
of professional
entertainers from the
Big Apple Circus Clown Care
hospital clowning
program prove laughter
is a big part of the
best medicine.

Dressed as doctors and nurses and sporting names like Dr. Gon Golfin, the eight clowns of Children's Big Apple Circus Clown Care hospital clowning program travel in pairs to visit all the hospital's patients over the course of a week. Seeing children of all ages means moving quickly from cooing with a baby in one room to cracking Saturday Night Live jokes with a teen next door. It's a difficult job, one "Dr. Gonzo," aka Robb Preskins, says is "like performing the first five minutes of a comedy
routine all day long."

The clowns' hard work often pays off. Like the time they started a hallway parade and coaxed a boy out of bed who would heal faster if he started walking again; or the time patient Jessica Brown (left) wheeled excitedly over to Dr. Mensch so they could sing "Feliz Navidad" together—despite the trach tube that restricts her ability to talk.

From performing emergency chocolate milk transfusions to conducting kitty cat scans, these comics do their best to lighten any child's load.

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It is not a substitute for the professional judgment of a qualified heath care provider based upon actual examination of a patient's condition
and history. Therefore, it should not be construed as medical advice for any particular patient's condition, and may need to be altered in
different care environments. Please contact us if we can be helpful in answering any questions or to arrange for a visit or consult.