Ding-Dong the Medical Clown’s Diary – The First Time

I’ve been busy nonstop since June and only now have had time to catch my breath and sort through my thoughts along the way.

From promoting the lectures to selecting and training new Medical Clown, from contacting hospitals to having National Taiwan University Children’s Hospital agree to let us perform, and then entering the wards to perform for the children in July—we have now been doing this for three months. The impact and emotion this journey has given me have truly been immense.

On the first day we were going to perform at the hospital, Luc and I were both filled with nervousness: “What if the children burst into tears when they see us?” “Will the nurses think we’re getting in the way?” “Will the doctors give us dirty looks?” “Will the parents chase us out?” …Our minds were filled with endless questions.

But the moment we changed clothes, put on our makeup, gathered our courage, and stepped out of the changing room singing, I felt all those worries vanish into thin air. We sang all the way down the halls, peeking into the rooms at the children and parents. When we saw everyone craning their necks and their eyes lighting up, they could hardly believe what they were seeing: “There are actually clowns in the hospital!”

Some parents gave us a thumbs-up; some children called out to their moms and dads, “I want to go out and see the clowns!” The medical staff smiled at us, and one nurse even happily went around promoting us in the wards: “The Medical Clown are here!”

Then we began entering the rooms one by one to perform. Everywhere we went, we first introduced ourselves to the parents. Usually, the moms and dads would greet us with big smiles and say, “Please come in, please come in. My son/daughter is inside.” Or the parents would simply hold their child and wait for us at the door. Sometimes, after we finished performing in a room, a nurse would even tell us, “The little boy in Room X has been waiting for you for a long time. Would you like to go to his room next?”

I still remember that on our very first day of performances, we met several “loyal audience members” whom we continued to see afterward. In the hallway, we met a four-year-old boy who had a Spider-Man toy sticking out of his IV stand. The first time we met, he gave us a complete lecture on Spider-Man studies, explaining in detail the different personalities of Spider-Men in different colors, why Spider-Man is Spider-Man, Spider-Man’s superpowers…and so on. Finally, he demonstrated Spider-Man’s web-shooting power and sent Bob and me flying all the way to the other end of the hallway! Before we left, he also taught Bob and me to sing the Spider-Man song, and only then did he walk away satisfied. (After that, every time he saw us, we had to sing this song before he would happily let us leave~)

That day, we also met the “Commander.” He was a five-year-old boy. When we arrived at his room, he was in a bad mood, and seeing the clowns only made him angrier as he demanded that we go away. But things did not end there. He certainly never expected that every breath he blew would send the clowns flying far away like a hurricane. After being blown away, the clowns would struggle desperately to crawl back to his bedside, only for him to blow them far away again… So afterward, whenever we performed, he and we would play a blowing game. Once, in the back-and-forth of this hurricane, Clown Bob actually tore a door panel right off a wardrobe! In an instant, the child, his parents, and the nurse all collapsed in laughter. But the “Commander” immediately composed himself, picked up a pen and paper, and issued us a ticket with great authority. It read: “Destruction of public property: fine of one million dollars.” After that, no matter how much Ding-Dong and Bob pleaded, the “Commander,” being a man of principle, refused to give us even the slightest discount! Yet amid Ding-Dong and Bob’s pleas for mercy, beneath the stern expression he put on, I caught a tiny glimmer of a happy smile…

And so, on that first day, we met Spider-Man, the Commander, the Transformers, the little bunnies, Toy Story…and more…

Amid music, laughter, and emotional ups and downs—sometimes flustered, sometimes delighted, like riding a roller coaster—we brought our first day of performances to an end.

On the way back, although we were exhausted, Luc and I felt deeply fulfilled and hopeful.

Medical Clown had finally begun in Taiwan!

(To be continued)

*Note: Ding-Dong is the name of the clown played by Mama; Bob is the name of Luc’s clown.