A hospital clown is still making kids laugh, even from behind a protective mask

With activity areas closed and tight visitor restrictions, families at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax are facing a very different experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But one service hasn't stopped: Nana Margie, the therapeutic clown, is hard at work at the children's hospital.

"Times are very different right now," she said in an interview, never breaking character. "What's really lovely is that I'm still able to go in and have times with me friends. Especially right now, it's important for us to be present, and for us to enjoy a feeling of community still."

Margie just took on the job in December,andis now tasked with keeping spirits high during the pandemic. She walks the halls wearing a mask, and sportsfull personal protective equipment if she's working with a high-risk patient.

Like always, Margie only visits patients if she's invited into their rooms.

"I have a little picture that I wears that shows what I look like without the mask on, and so that's one way that they can see what I look like beforehand if they haven't met me before," she said. "Other than that, the hardest thing to do is to blow a bubble."

Instead of bubbles, Margie depends on overthetop expressions and waving her arms to brighten up children's days.

While she can't play with her friends in the activity room right now, she's stilldoing individual arts and crafts. She laughs as she recallsmaking sparkly slime with a patient the other day.

"Didn't we have a good time making a mess," she said.

Right now, the hospital is only allowing one parent or guardian to stay with their child. The divided families can cause "a little bit of distress," said Margie, but overallthe children are adapting well.

She said it's an honour if she can help brighten their day.

"Sometimes we forget just how resilient young folks can be," she said. "There's lots of things that are changing, but my goodness their imaginations and their ability to adapt is just beautiful."

Margie knows that many kids at home are also feeling a loss of community. She and other members of the IWK child life team broadcast live twice a week on the hospital's YouTube channel, called IWKChildLife. Kids at home and in the hospital can watch her every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30 p.m., local time.

She plays music, bingo, or guides them through an activity. All through the hour, children can call in anonymously and have a chat with her.

"They can call in from their hospital rooms or from out into the community if they's watching from there, and it's a feeling of being together when we can't be together."

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