Laughter The Best Medicine For Kids At La Rabida Children's Hospital
(CBS) -- Music and laughter filled the air at La Rabida Children's Hospital, 6501 S. Promontory Dr., Tuesday afternoon as clowns, magicians, face painters, stilt walkers and jugglers spend the day healing with humor.
"Wanna sing a song? Let's sing a song," croons Michael Weiser, otherwise known as "Dr. Piper."
Weiser is part of Clown Care, a troupe that visits sick children throughout Chicago.
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"All of us have different backgrounds, different kinds of training in theater, in clowning, skills such as juggling and music. This is our way to give back. This is our way to share with the kids," said Karen Hoyer, otherwise known as "Dr. Dot."
The clowns from Big Apple Circus Clown Care are trained in specific hygiene practices and always collaborate with doctors and nurses when visiting with the children at the many pediatric facilities they visit.
"We always say the child is in charge. We ask them if we can come visit at their bedside. We are there in the present moment, whatever they need, we're there for them," said Hoyer.
Five-year-old Leona Scales comes to La Rabida about twice a month for rehabilitation on her club foot.
"I saw clowns and I got my face painted," she laughed and pointed to the dragon on her cheek.
Her father Gerald Scales says today's visit made all the difference for his daughter.
"She's usually happy but today she's on Cloud 9. She enjoyed every minute of it. She loved it. She didn't want to leave," Scales said.
Leona was born with caudal regression syndrome that affects her kidney and bladder and she was born with deformities to the lower half of the body.
"There are a lot of kids here with severe disabilities so if we can make them laugh, we know they are feeling better, both physically and emotionally," said Hoyer.
Clown Care and the Big Apple Circus bring their act to the bedsides of more than 225,000 children in 15 pediatric hospitals across the country.
They visit children in both inpatient and outpatient units, including intensive care, emergency room, physical therapy, bone marrow transplant, pediatric AIDS, and hematology/oncology.
For Leona and her father, it was just what the doctor ordered.
"It made her more excited to come back and visit her doctors and that's great for the parents," Scales said.
"You feel warm, that you've given something back," said Weiser.
