Red-Nosed Doctor’s Diary – Don’t Go
The intern Medical Clown entered the hospital for the first time to perform as a trio. The parade had just ended, and they were about to begin their ward performance when something happened! A series of intense roars and cries came from in front of the nurses’ station: “Daddy, don’t go~” Everyone immediately turned around and saw a little boy, about three years old, sitting in a stroller with an IV attached, tugging on his father’s hand and wailing, refusing to let him leave. His voice echoed throughout the hospital. After the father helplessly explained, they learned that the adorable little boy had started crying because he was hungry. His father planned to go to the hospital cafeteria to buy him some food, but the boy did not want his father to leave him. Yet when his father offered to take him along, he refused to go. Thus, they were caught in an impossible three-way dilemma, on top of the child’s heart-wrenching cries. This was a super difficult problem! Who would have thought that Tofu would encounter such an incident right at the start of his internship? All one could say was that Tofu’s morning internship was incredibly lucky! So, the trio of clowns sprang into action!
The little boy sitting in the stroller was tugging on his father’s hand and wailing, refusing to let him leave, his voice echoing throughout the hospital. After the father helplessly explained, they learned that the adorable little boy had started crying because he was hungry. His father planned to go to the hospital cafeteria to buy him some food, but the boy did not want his father to leave him. Yet when his father offered to take him along, he refused to go. Thus, they were caught in an impossible three-way dilemma, on top of the child’s heart-wrenching cries. This was a super difficult problem! Who would have thought that Tofu would encounter such an incident right at the start of his internship? All one could say was that Tofu’s morning internship was incredibly lucky! So, the trio of clowns sprang into action!
At first, the clowns tried to attract the little boy’s attention, but he completely ignored them, focusing only on holding his father’s hand while shouting, “Don’t go” and “I’m so hungry.” But the clowns did not get discouraged. Ding-Dong brought out the most popular mouse puppet, while Tofu stood to the side screaming, “The mouse is here!” and helped the father break free so he could quickly complete his mission to buy noodles. In a flash, the boy’s attention was diverted. His father told him, “Wait here. I’m going to buy noodles and will be right back,” then went to buy the noodles. The boy immediately abandoned the clowns and repeatedly cried out to his father, “Daddy!!! You have to come back quickly!!!” At that moment, the mouse began darting around again, while Tofu promised the boy that he would help him find his father, then started running and searching through every corner of the hospital. Bob, meanwhile, sat on the floor playing the piano as background music. With three clowns serving one little boy so attentively, he indeed stopped crying right away. Although he was still sad, he began interacting with the clowns. Just then, the mother of another child from the room next door came out carrying a chocolate bun and joined the clowns in comforting and entertaining the boy. They put on acts such as the mouse searching for the bun and making a nose appear from a pair of underpants. Before long, the boy’s emotions settled down, and he even began interacting with the clowns.
In just five short minutes, the Medical Clown took him from crying his eyes out to calmly chatting—they truly demonstrated their value! Even the nurses found it amazing that they could make the child they jokingly called the “out-of-control kid” so calm. Through this incident, intern clowns Tofu and Queen surely learned a great deal as well.
Observation gives you images in your mind; internships allow your skills to be put into practice. I always ask the intern clowns about their thoughts and feelings when observing and interning. Every time they return from the hospital, I can see the light in their eyes: their confidence has grown and their direction has become clearer. By accumulating experience through these real-world encounters and putting what they have learned into practice, I wish them success in becoming smile ambassadors who can stand on their own as soon as possible!