When laughter is the best medicine
Clowndoctors provide such a lift
It wasn’t until the Clowndoctors paid a virtual visit to her family’s living room that mum Laura Mollins became aware of a previously untapped level of understanding within her son, who has complex needs.
Jason, six, has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, the result of a traumatic brain injury he sustained at the age of just five months.
The damage caused to his brain as a baby has left Jason unable to walk or talk. He has to be seated, supported, and strapped into a chair, and is unable to eat or drink. Fed through a tube in his tummy, Jason is also severely visually impaired.
Laura’s younger son is in Primary 2 at Airdrie’s Mavisbank School for children with additional support needs (ASN) – which is where he was introduced to the magic of the Clowndoctors.
Laura said: “The Clowndoctors visited there quite frequently in pre-covid times.
“As parents, we got to hear about the children’s experience and how much they enjoyed it, but never got to see how it worked.
“It wasn’t until Jason started to have home schooling and virtual sessions that I saw first-hand what the Clowndoctors provide to families.
“What I can see is the enjoyment Jason gets from it and the fact that he is not seen as another person with a disability, just another number.
“It is phenomenal. He understands them, and they fully understand him as well.”
Laura explained: “If I am sitting on the floor with Jason during virtual sessions, he will have his toes at the camera, and the Clowndoctors act as if they are sniffing and tickling his toes.
“It is a level of understanding that I was not aware Jason had until then. He recognises the voices and noises they make. If they are playing a drum one day, or a didgeridoo, he associates that beat with them.
“The other day, after a session, I was drumming a wee beat on his chest and he was beaming from ear to ear. And his eyes were moving as if to say ‘where are they?’
“They turn the noises he makes into songs, and the movements he makes, they turn into a dance.”
An equally enthusiastic fan of the Clowndoctors is Jason’s big brother, 11-year-old Kieran.
“Kieran thinks they are fantastic,” said single parent Laura, 28, who is grateful for the “great family support network” that surrounds her and her boys – and for the enormous support she receives from Mavisbank School.
“With Kieran home schooling, he will pop his head round the door to watch Jason interact with the Clowndoctors over the screen. I have seen him sneaking wee peeks and joining in with a tune.
“Kieran is a fantastic big brother, who is always there to help out when needed. He’s very patient with Jason, and has never resented him. If Jason is lying on the floor, he will lie down beside him and cuddle him. And he’s always trying to push him to do things.”
Laura cannot speak highly enough of the joy Hearts & Minds’ Clowndoctors bring to children and their families.
Following the injury to his brain, Jason had spells in hospital – and Laura has a vague recollection of the Clowndoctors being around while she was waiting for her baby, who was under sedation, to have an MRI scan.
“I was sitting with other parents, all dreading the name of their child being called,” she remembers.
“When they came in, it changed the atmosphere of the whole ward. Everyone was happy and smiling. I wish I had their motivation.
“With Jason being at home just now, it has shed a massive light on how much work they put in, and how much of a difference they make to a child’s life and to families. They’re trying to make your day a bit better – and 20 minutes of smiling is much better than not smiling at all. “Jason is just such a happy, contented boy and, on a dayto-day basis, you do not see Jason without a smile on his face. He finds enjoyment in everything. He loves attention, and a fuss being made of him – and he loves a cuddle.
“But, as a parent of a child with complex needs, every day can be a challenge. To have that Zoom session makes you forget about everything. It brightens up the day.”
Itwasn’tuntiljasonstarted to have home schooling and virtual sessions that I saw first-hand what the Clowndoctors provide to families
Laura Mollins