Cliniclowns
My twingirls were born
with rhesusdisease. They needed exchange transfusions and
erytrocytes-transfusions to prevent them from dying. It
wasn't easy to spend a lot of time in hospital with 4 other
children at home. But the girls were breastfed, and the
hospital was too far from home to ask a neighbour to bring and
fetch me many times a day. So I sat from early morning till
late afternoon beside a bed, watching my girls and having very
small talks with the nurse when she came in to
check.
One of these days I was waiting for the doctor
in a little room. On the other side sat a mother with a
toddler that was coughing a lot. Suddenly the door opened
slowly and a yellow hand reached inside.... the hand was
slowly followed by...
a clown!!
In no time he made the
little one smile and forget the pain. And my little girls of
only a few days old were all moving arms and legs. Not because
they were afraid of the harsh sounds. No! There were
none. It was because of the soft sweet voice of the clown
who sang a melodic lullaby. The presence of the clown was
felt in the room long after the large shoe found its way
through the door, came back to wave goodbye, and stept slowly
away. I had both tears in my eyes and a smile on my
face. But what was more important: I had a smile in my
heart, because the little toddler fell asleep shortly
afterwards and didn't feel his pain anymore.
It was years later when
I was in hospital with Lars. He needed a kind of routine
surgery, but there was a lot of tension when waiting for him
to return and hearing the outcome from the doctor. It was
in december, the day the whole country celebrates:
Sinterklaas. (It's like boxing day at Christmas.) I'd been
waiting for over an hour, for about 75 minutes. I was just
thinking that it took far too long and that I maybe should ask
a nurse to check at the OR, when the door was opened and 2
pietes came in, followed by a very tall Sinterklaas. Above
the cape, that had a touch of the tablecloth my gram used to
have, was a long white beard. And above the beard two
interesting eyes. I knew those eyes! But up till now I
haven't figured out for sure who the Sinterklaas
was.
After entering the room, they made way to two
children. They talked a while about what they had experienced
a few hours ago. (They had surgery too.) They joked a bit.
Just right for the age of the children. They spread a very
relaxing feeling through the room and a lightness of thinking
that makes pain bearable. I sat there, just watching, and
even my thoughts were distracted completely.
Then they asked for
Lars. I told them he wasn't back yet. Just in a very neutral
voice. Nothing special. I was forgotten my
worries. Sinterklaas said something that really touched me
as a mother. The two pietes were joking with the children at
the other side of the room, and I was feeling like that little
girl in front of that all knowing holy man. And I didn't even
mind one bit! LOL! Then he told me that it wouldn't take
long anymore and he gave me the present that was for Lars.
"Give it to him. He might think it's a bit childish, but
it isn't. Every persoon needs a little confort from a stuffed
one that can't talk. Tell him it's from the real
Sinterklaas." A photo was made for Lars to prove that I got
the present from Sinterklaas. Then I got a hug and he went.
The cliniclowns make a
real difference for children and parents who have to stay in
hospital. I feel priviliged to have been there twice, but
it's impossible to count the times they lift people up. Just
walking through a waitingroom is an experience children and
parents talk about, because they make people
smile.
Care to share is initiated by Caroline of Cosmic
Handmade. She cares to share her talents with others, thus
granting me the use of this beautiful webset. I'm very
grateful for that, and I enjoy seeing the colours and the
graphics. I'm sure you have enjoyed it too.
Please consider
donating to the cliniclowns, or enter them into your
inheritance. Cliniclowns are available in many countries
nowadays. I have linked the care to share graphic to the
group that works in The Netherlands. In case you need a
translation, please let me know. I'll be happy to make one.
More than happy, in fact.
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