True Northwest: Laughter League at Seattle Children's

Well, a chuckle during a dark time, it can make all the difference. Fox 13 photojournalist Michael Driver shouted the Laughter League at Seattle Children's bringing joy to kids. They say laughter is the best medicine. And at Seattle Children's Hospital, a special team of clown doctors is putting that to the test. The nonprofit group Laughter League sends professionally trained circus and variety artists right to the bedsides of young patients. In this edition of True Northwest, I went behind the red noses to see the big impact these small moments are making. The hospital setting can be really intimidating to anybody, particularly a child. They said I had leukemia, so now I have to come here for treatment every week, so. There are a lot of stresses that patients and families go through being here. Ready. In that environment, we come in and we pop that bubble, right? We like to say that we're not trying to change the child, we're trying to change the atmosphere. Where'd that one come from? Inviting into their world some play. I'm Dr. Whizbang. I'm Dr. So-and-so. She's a real so-and-so. Yeah. We're from Laughter League. Tick, tock, tick, tick. A nationwide group of healthcare clowns. Do you think we could make a worm out of some of this Play-Doh? For some of our patients that get stuck here for a long period of time, it can be weeks, it can be months. I'll knock. Yes. Okay. Okay. Yeah, that's the noise that it makes. Wow. Having programs like Laughter League. I'm going to read your mind. I'm going to guess your favorite color. Are you ready? Green. You're right. Change that experience for them and kind of reframe what the hospital experience can be like. I can't do it. I can't do it. I can't do it. That's exactly what happens when you eat a hat. I also am a cancer survivor myself from adolescent cancer, so when this crossed my path, it felt like this perfect way to pay it forward. Yeah, that was delicious. Would you like one, Dr. Whispang? Having that first-hand knowledge, I felt like that the job kind of found me in a way. Dr. So-and-so. That's me. That's you. I was talking to myself. Really, really happy to come in and connect with these kiddos. They say that laughter is the best medicine for a reason and there's a physical thing that happens to our bodies when we smile and when we laugh and especially when we laugh with other people. It just makes me forget that pain is a thing and it just makes me feel better. That I'm not alone and people will help when they see someone in need of help. Up above the world so high. You know, that idea that I can't fix everything, right? No, I can't make it better, but I can make it funny. I can provide a moment of joy or a moment of connection. And that it's a beautiful reminder that you don't have to do everything. You can just show up and do something. I can give you laughs, but your nose might still be runny. No, I can't fix it all. But please know I am trying to give you a few more smiles and a little less crying. Oh So if you would like to support the Laughter League and help the organization continue to grow and spread smiles, you can find a link to more information on that beautiful story. It's on our website. That's fox13seattle.com. And those two doctors, I know they're doctors, but they should have their own show that was entertaining. It's really amazing how strong these kids are. I delivered some toys to a young man a number of years ago, and he was going through the worst possible things you can ever imagine. But he just wanted to play. He was just a kid, you know, and you have to remember that all that, Stuff they have on and the stuff they're going through, really, they're just little kids that just want to have fun. You can feel the energy shift, too, like the smile coming across their face. So good. And you were saying kind of that little kid just had a mature soul. Yeah, you have to. Yeah. Okay.