About a year ago, upon entering the nursing home in which I clown regularly, I saw a new resident in his wheelchair in the hallway. A quadraplegic, in his twenties, who looked as though he was angry at the world; who could blame him.

He refused my offer of a sticker. I smiled and said "okay..." and continued clowning with others in the hallway.

In the following weeks, I could tell he did not want to interact with me, so I would smile and say "hello" and leave him be.

When he looked more receptive, I offered him a sticker and he asked me to put it on his wheel chair. In the following weeks, I would ask him if he wanted to add to his sticker collection, and he always said "yes" and then wheeled off.

After awhile, he started lingering near me, and soon after began to ask me how I was doing. Occassionally he would ask me to straighten out his fingers, which I did.

Yesterday, Santiago not only took a sticker, he watched me clown around and then we interacted for about 10 minutes. We chatted, he told me he wants to see the pictures I bring back of Mexico, I gave him a clown hair cut (I ask permission before doing anything), and dusted him with a feather duster as he directed me.

I picked up his hand and we shook hands. We were by the nurses station where they have coolers with water and kool aid. He asked me
to give him some kool aid, so I asked the nurse (I said in a clown voice something like "Mr. Santiago would like some kool aid. May I give it to him?") I held the cup to his mouth as he drank.

Santiago, who told me yesterday that he is a loner, very gradually warmed up to me over the past year. I generally don't spend as long as 10 minutes with one person, but this contact was very special.

[This message was edited by Clown Dode on January 27, 2003 at 05:07 AM.]