Pouli, which takes laughter to hospitals
interview on "The Counter" from "La Vanguardia"
VICTOR-M. AMELA - 22/10/2010
I have 45 years. I was born in Holland and living in Switzerland since baby. He was director of marketing majors, but I quit. Today provides clowns to hospitals by Theodora Foundation. I am single, with a girlfriend. I'm liberal and environmentalist. I am a Protestant
How many clowns do you have?
161 clowns are: highly educated, visiting sick children each week in 120 hospitals in eight countries.
"In Spain?
Here
our clowns have visited 50,000 children. Worldwide visited individually to 270,000 children a year.
Individually "?
The Smile Doctor is a time with each child, capturing their need, distracting, make you laugh, establishing a relationship ...
Smile Doctor "?
Doctors often walk busy, serious. So the children see a doctor fun, and see the hospital more bearable and fun. We love magic tricks ... Open a fantasy window into your routine.
And how the kids react?
One doctor said he did not want to go home, wanted to see your Doctor Smile! "The first time I see it," said the doctor.
joy Does that help to heal?
Our goal is not therapeutic. Only bring smiles, joy, laughter, fantasy.
But the joy is very healthy.
child's oncologist Celia Gil, San Carlos Clinical Hospital of Madrid, said: "We have not been scientifically proven therapeutic effect of laughter, but to hear the hospital full of laughter is enough for us ".
there no study on this subject?
One developed in Southampton by Alan Glasper analyzed children's drawings before and after clown after drawings express more optimism, joy ...
What they say parents?
It helps a lot to see their children laughing and having fun, living an oasis in their suffering ...
And how do you live clowns?
A child very, very sick clown told: "Go to amuse my mother, who is very sad, I'm fine, I'm fine ...".
is hard ...
The clowns are preparing a whole year to make this work so delicate. No only know how to connect with the child to amuse, must also be well prepared emotionally, emotions are strong, fit everything there is to know what happens ...
Are you thinking about something in particular?
One day a child asked his clown, please prepare your funeral ...
Buf. Buf.
The boy felt his death coming, and talk about it with his clown comforted and soothed him. The child not want to see their parents suffer ... Here, boy and clown were two people talking heart to heart. That's it.
What happened at the end?
was a lovely funeral, with clowns, other children, friends, parents, living it all with great success ... They are very intense moments, breathtaking.
How did you get this initiative?
I was marketing director of Procter & Gamble, Tag Heuer, L'Oréal ... Many would kill for these positions! But it filled me, not what I wanted. And when my mother fell ill, I left ...
What happened to your mother?
He was diagnosed with breast cancer. He was in treatment for two years, and I wanted to be with her all the time. She said: "Above all, do not leave your job for me ...". Typical of her! I told him not leaving, of course ... But for me it was very, very important to be at his side.
Why?
Because I have very vivid what happened to me when I was 10 years old: half cut my right foot with a lawn mower we had in the backyard, followed by two years and fourteen surgeries and six months hospital bed ... Yno Theodora forget what he did, my mother.
What did? He
every day in the hospital room. There was recovering eight children. Cambodian children were with legs or feet mutilated by landmines. We were all entertained, comforted and fun: stories, games, stories, imagination ... I suffered great pain and anguish of not knowing if he would walk again ... but the joy of my mother made it all bearable, I escaped from the sorrow of the hospital.
How was living the end of her mother?
talk about everything, life, my father died a little earlier, walk, live every minute, this, that's what matters ... And after his death, I decided to create the Theodora Foundation.
And where it started to act?
I went to the University Hospital of Lausanne, afraid, I was 27 and my friends saw me as a crackpot when they knew it was going to devote myself to clowns ... I talked to the doctor in charge of psycho-oncology, and liked the idea! But he could not approve it without the approval of the head nurse ... And told me it was a Germanic very stretched, very rigid, very strict ...
What did you do?
Well, very afraid, I went to talk to her. When you open the door of his office, I realized that I knew this nurse, was that I had cared for a child when he was hospitalized because of my foot!
And how did she react?
As recognized me, its rigidity is softened, because then he remembered my mother and everything she had done for children in that room ... And so I begin to bring the hospital clowns. All thanks to the kindness, generosity and love of Theodora, my mother. This is its fruit.
161 clowns are: highly educated, visiting sick children each week in 120 hospitals in eight countries.
"In Spain?
Here
our clowns have visited 50,000 children. Worldwide visited individually to 270,000 children a year.
Individually "?
The Smile Doctor is a time with each child, capturing their need, distracting, make you laugh, establishing a relationship ...
Smile Doctor "?
Doctors often walk busy, serious. So the children see a doctor fun, and see the hospital more bearable and fun. We love magic tricks ... Open a fantasy window into your routine.
And how the kids react?
One doctor said he did not want to go home, wanted to see your Doctor Smile! "The first time I see it," said the doctor.
joy Does that help to heal?
Our goal is not therapeutic. Only bring smiles, joy, laughter, fantasy.
But the joy is very healthy.
child's oncologist Celia Gil, San Carlos Clinical Hospital of Madrid, said: "We have not been scientifically proven therapeutic effect of laughter, but to hear the hospital full of laughter is enough for us ".
there no study on this subject?
One developed in Southampton by Alan Glasper analyzed children's drawings before and after clown after drawings express more optimism, joy ...
What they say parents?
It helps a lot to see their children laughing and having fun, living an oasis in their suffering ...
And how do you live clowns?
A child very, very sick clown told: "Go to amuse my mother, who is very sad, I'm fine, I'm fine ...".
is hard ...
The clowns are preparing a whole year to make this work so delicate. No only know how to connect with the child to amuse, must also be well prepared emotionally, emotions are strong, fit everything there is to know what happens ...
Are you thinking about something in particular?
One day a child asked his clown, please prepare your funeral ...
Buf. Buf.
The boy felt his death coming, and talk about it with his clown comforted and soothed him. The child not want to see their parents suffer ... Here, boy and clown were two people talking heart to heart. That's it.
What happened at the end?
was a lovely funeral, with clowns, other children, friends, parents, living it all with great success ... They are very intense moments, breathtaking.
How did you get this initiative?
I was marketing director of Procter & Gamble, Tag Heuer, L'Oréal ... Many would kill for these positions! But it filled me, not what I wanted. And when my mother fell ill, I left ...
What happened to your mother?
He was diagnosed with breast cancer. He was in treatment for two years, and I wanted to be with her all the time. She said: "Above all, do not leave your job for me ...". Typical of her! I told him not leaving, of course ... But for me it was very, very important to be at his side.
Why?
Because I have very vivid what happened to me when I was 10 years old: half cut my right foot with a lawn mower we had in the backyard, followed by two years and fourteen surgeries and six months hospital bed ... Yno Theodora forget what he did, my mother.
What did? He
every day in the hospital room. There was recovering eight children. Cambodian children were with legs or feet mutilated by landmines. We were all entertained, comforted and fun: stories, games, stories, imagination ... I suffered great pain and anguish of not knowing if he would walk again ... but the joy of my mother made it all bearable, I escaped from the sorrow of the hospital.
How was living the end of her mother?
talk about everything, life, my father died a little earlier, walk, live every minute, this, that's what matters ... And after his death, I decided to create the Theodora Foundation.
And where it started to act?
I went to the University Hospital of Lausanne, afraid, I was 27 and my friends saw me as a crackpot when they knew it was going to devote myself to clowns ... I talked to the doctor in charge of psycho-oncology, and liked the idea! But he could not approve it without the approval of the head nurse ... And told me it was a Germanic very stretched, very rigid, very strict ...
What did you do?
Well, very afraid, I went to talk to her. When you open the door of his office, I realized that I knew this nurse, was that I had cared for a child when he was hospitalized because of my foot!
And how did she react?
As recognized me, its rigidity is softened, because then he remembered my mother and everything she had done for children in that room ... And so I begin to bring the hospital clowns. All thanks to the kindness, generosity and love of Theodora, my mother. This is its fruit.
Theodora
Theodora Foundation has trained in Spain to 26 clowns, according to a program that aims to bring joy and laughter to children in hospitals. Its founder, André Pouli, a big, bright and smiling, I glossed her faith in the clowns "would also help put things into meetings between politicians acting in the world." His clowns have helped them cope with their stay in hospitals for children everywhere, and its foundation as clowns (doctorsonrisa @ Theodore ra. org). Pouli, on liberal education, denies that its foundation (www. Theodora. Org.'s) Receive any grants, accepts only donations from individuals and private companies.
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