Clowning around, right prescription for youngest patients

It stinks to be sick, especially when you are a kid. Enter class clowns Ronnie Postlewait and Ken Sears---literally, clowns.

Postlewait and Sears are part of a special group of people--they are Shriners who volunteer at local and regional events as clowns, usually to the amusement of children.

"I got into clowning through a friend (who) had been a Shriner and clown for years and convinced me to join," Postlewait, chief of the Fort Knox Emergency Medical Services since 1999, explained.

If everything goes well in their preparation time, Postlewait and Sears, who are located at the Ireland Army Health Clinic facility, said they can have their make-up and costume on in about an hour.

"My clown name is Lou-Al, the Hawaiian-beach clown. Being Lou-Al allows me to do things I wouldn't do as Ronnie, such as dancing in very large crowds, and just acting goofy," Postlewait added.

Sears, who is an emergency medical technician at Fort Knox EMS and an Army Reserve medic, dresses as a medical clown known as "Stitches."

The thing each said they really enjoy about clowning is bringing smiles to the faces of kids, which is helpful since some of the Lou-Al and Stiches favorite moments are going to hospitals to see kids.

Some of the young patients are a bit shy, said Sears, but once they open up and start laughing he said being there clowning around takes the kids' minds off their illnesses.

Postlewait said it is during those times he hears from parents who thank him. They will catch him in a hall way, or sometimes follow him out of the child's hospital room, and thank him for making their children smile--some of them wouldn't have smiled in months due to cancer treatments.

During the holidays the EMS duo can be found "clowning around" just about everywhere. Sears said they participate in a variety of events such as parades, festivals, the Kosair Shrine Circus, and other charity events. For example, Postlewait said in October they participated in a Kosair Charities event for kids with special needs at the Louisville Zoo.

Recently they also performed at the Louisville Down Syndrome Christmas party, the Kosair Charities Christmas and later this month they will perform for a Kosairs' event in Bowling Green, KY.

"We perform at all events we participate in," Postlewait noted. "We may only act goofy or we may perform a rehearsed skit--whatever it takes to make people smile. One of my favorite events is the Camp Quality kick-off. Camp Quality is a camp for kids with and recovering from cancer.

"They get to spend time at camp and get away from the daily stresses of cancer and its associated treatments. During the kick off we play games, dance and just have a good time with the kids just prior to them leaving for camp."

But Lou-Al, the Hawaiian-beach clown, is quick to point out when people ask how much they get paid to be clowns--it's an all-volunteer effort.

"We are 100 percent volunteer," he explained. "You may see us, as Shriners, on the street corners or in front of stores collecting money. All the money we collect goes to helping the kids."

Sears said he thinks "laughter is the best medicine," and while clowning might just be a hobby for the duo, research shows Sears has a valid point.

According to Cancer Treatment Center for America, laughter therapy--also called humor therapy--is the use of humor to promote overall health and wellness. It uses the natural physiological process of laughter to help relieve physical or emotional stresses or discomfort.

Its website (www.cancercenter.com/treatments/laughter-therapy) says that laughter is a natural diversion because no other thought comes to mind in that moment. Laughing can also induce physical changes in the body and when used in addition to conventional cancer treatments, laughter therapy may help in the overall healing process.

For example it may provide physical benefits, such as helping to:

 Boost the immune system and circulatory system

 Enhance oxygen intake

 Stimulate the heart and lungs

 Relax muscles throughout the body

 Trigger the release of endorphins (the body's natural painkillers)

 Balance blood pressure

 Reduce stress/tension

 Promote relaxation

Even though Postlewait's audience might receive the physiological benefits of his performance, he gets something from it as well.

"I tell people all the time, I get more from helping the kids than the kids get from me," he noted. "It is a feeling that cannot be described.

"The joy of making someone smile and laugh is priceless. Abraham Lincoln is credited at saying it best, 'No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.'"

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Related Links:

Ireland Army Health Clinic Facebook page