Like a laugh: How red-nosed youngsters the best medicine
soap. They visit hospitals, hospices and respite centres across Scotland, entertaining babies, children and young people with short, longterm and sometimes lifelimiting conditions.
Each intervention is “made to measure” and improvised and might involve music, singing, magic, puppetry, slapstick or imaginative play. When infection control is required, they can visit children through the window.
Hearts and Minds CEO Michelle Armstrong said: “We believe that laughter is nature’s best medicine, but what we do goes far beyond that.
“We use therapeutic clowning to make a genuine connection with every child we interact with, engaging with the young individual behind the illness.”
Jacob Shaw has spent years following the Clowndoctors around Scotland’s hospitals for sick children. But they still manage to raise a smile – and lots of giggles – every time they see him.
The seven-year-old, from Macduff, has spina bifida, hydrocephalus and Arnold Chiari Malformation, where the brain pushes down into the spinal canal. Since undergoing his first operation at birth, the youngster has spent much of his life in hospital. Mum Kirsty said: “From the beginning we were told it was very unlikely Jacob would make his first birthday. It was heartbreaking, but one year passed and then another, and another – and seven years on here we are and he’s still going strong. “Jacob’s conditions mean he has trouble swallowing and quite often forgets to breathe. It’s fair to say we’ve had some scary moments over the years – but lots of happy ones as well. Every day is a miracle for us. Jacob wasn’t expected to sit up or talk but he has proved everyone wrong. “He recently started putting words into sentences and three years ago started mainstream school.
“So he’s pretty amazing despite his difficult start in life. Jacob has spent the majority of his seven years in or travelling between the children’s hospitals in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Many Christmases and birthdays have been spent having treatment. “But initiatives like the Clowndoctors make it an enjoyable experience.
“The clowns have a way of spreading infectious cheer. They bring laughter which is the best medicine.”