Clown Doctors -The Children's Hospital, Westmead
My son was a patient at The Children's Hospital at Westmead. First at 8 months of age when his kidney failed and then at 10 months when they removed it. It was a difficult time for us all. Visiting again, this time as a volunteer photographer, I had to confront the crockpot of intense anxiety and other emotions that envelop you as a parent. But more revealing was having to face the children. The head hanging to their chest and pain glazed eyes, head tilted with a curious expression. "Why does this hurt mummy?" On this visit, however, the intensity was quickly dissolved by the pure joy brought to the faces of these young patients by the highly skilled and very funny clown doctors. What a wonderful gift! Whether finishing a round of chemotherapy or waiting for a kidney transplant, every child was able to find a smile for the clown doctors. Each bedside visit was pure delight. In addition, I witnessed momentary relief among the visitin...