【Dr. Red Nose’s Diary】Ding-dong! You have a bundle of laughter coming your way!

It was early on, just as the pandemic was about to become severe again. One day in late March, Hichu and Tofu were entrusted with the important task of delivering the Red Nose Caring Clown Association’s Children’s Day gift boxes purchased by donation to National Taiwan University Children’s Hospital, posing as Uber Eats delivery riders. Because of the pandemic, Dr. Red Nose had not performed in person at hospitals for several months, so both clowns were very much looking forward to this day!

That morning, after Hichu and Tofu met up, they were suddenly told that the day’s trip might be canceled. Hichu, who was dragging a suitcase along the road at the time, was truly thunderstruck when she saw the message. Fortunately, after communicating with everyone, only the morning session was canceled, and they could still successfully enter the hospital in the afternoon to deliver gifts to the children on one of the floors.

In the afternoon, Hichu and Tofu used a mobile hospital bed loaded with box after box of gift sets to make their way to the ward corridor. They also happened to encounter a special event that day: A-Chang, a doctor, and several children had formed the “Shiny Bright” band, which was about to hold a grand concert in the corridor—their first appearance of the century!

Before the performance began, Hichu and Tofu had to hurry and make their deliveries first. So, pushing a swivel chair piled high with gift boxes, we headed to the wards one by one. Hichu had originally been the boss and Tofu the assistant, but a little boss suddenly appeared halfway through: nine-year-old Chen-Chen boldly sat down on the clowns’ gift cart. Hichu was thus demoted to assistant, while Tofu was demoted even further to cart boy. But under the little boss’s direction, the gifts were smoothly delivered into every child’s hands. The children, parents, and nurses at the hospital were all very warm in greeting Tofu and Hichu, whom they had not seen for a long time, and every child and adult who received a gift box wore a radiant smile.

After completing their mission, Hichu and Tofu got ready to relax and watch the performance as little fans! Little did they know that A-Chang would suddenly cue them: “Medical Clown! Come up and dance!” What?! The two clowns, who had originally thought they were simply done after making the deliveries, suddenly became performing guests—just like that! Of course, the two clowns went up without hesitation to sing and dance. The “Shiny Bright” band brought such wonderful songs as “Li Bai,” “Heartbreak Frontline Alliance,” “Baby Shark,” and “Yo-kai Watch.” The usually cool 13-year-old boy Ah-Hong took on the role of drummer, while a doctor even personally stepped up as lead vocalist. Medical staff and children from the various rooms gathered in the corridor, making it wonderfully lively! After the cheerful performance came to an end, Hichu and Tofu had also successfully completed their mission and could return to report back.

For Hichu, Children’s Day has long ceased to be a holiday for us adults, but it also brought back memories of elementary school, when the excitement of receiving a little gift at school on Children’s Day was always so special. Whether it was a stationery set, stickers, or a notebook, the important thing was not what was inside, but the thought behind the gift, which always brought a small sense of happiness to me as a child. I hope that on that day, the care from the Medical Clown, as well as the care from the kind people who donated and sponsored the gifts, was conveyed to every child through those little gift boxes. Perhaps one day, at some moment in the future, they too will suddenly remember that little happiness of receiving a gift.