Medical clown brings talents from Jerusalem to suburbs
A medical clown from the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem came calling Tuesday on pediatric patients at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, but it was more than clowning around.
David Barashi is considered part of the medical staff in Jerusalem, where he works in the HIV clinic and emergency department as well as pediatrics, using his degree in therapeutic humor.
He also visits international Hadassah missions, including an HIV clinic in Ethiopia and he worked at the first field hospital in Haiti after the earthquake.
“It is nothing short of amazing,” said Dr. Gabriel Aljadeff, a pediatric pulmonologist on staff, “the way he can build trust with kids.”
Officials with Hadassah Chicago Chapter in Skokie are sponsoring Barashi's visit this week, bringing him to different children's hospitals in Chicago. Lutheran General is his only suburban stop.
Barashi came dressed in oversized pants and classic clown shoes, sporting a red button nose and a carrying a worn looking medical bag, filled with all sorts of tricks and prizes.
Instead of bursting in on his unsuspecting patients, he entered each room quietly, softly playing a harmonica, and waiting for their approval.
Justin Miller, 4, of Chicago waved and smiled immediately at the sight of Barashi. Justin is recovering from emergency surgery to remove his appendix and remains tethered to an IV line, but he was happy to play with Barashi.
“Did you bring me a present?” he asked. “I've been waiting for you all day.”
Down the hall, 5-year-old Vasilios Sarantopoulos was a tougher sell. Wearing a neck brace after injuring his neck, Vasilios was uncomfortable and slightly apprehensive as Barashi approached.
However, within minutes, he smiled and even laughed out loud as Barashi seemed to make things appear and disappear magically. The clown won over Vasilios so much, that he got a high-five as he left the room.
Child life specialists at Lutheran General said they wished Barashi could come every week. In Jerusalem, there are 70 clowns currently working at 22 hospitals, said Debby Oshri, managing director of the Chicago chapter of Hadassah — and they are training more.
“We have volunteers who go around with a humor cart,” said Denise Morrissey, one of the Lutheran General child life staff members. “But they're all volunteer based.”
Barashi himself says his efforts are all aimed at building up the child, starting with whether or not he should even enter the room.
“We believe that if we ask for permission, and the child decides, it gives him a sense of empowerment,” Barashi said. “In the hospital, everything else is done to him and he has no say.”
Dr. Aljadeff agreed, adding that medical treatments are only part of a patient's recovery.
“Feeling good about themselves and everything that's being done in their environment helps,” he said. “It definitely advances the healing process.”