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The Three Ambassadors of the Lollipop Theatre Guild
By
Greg (Gregoriancant)
There’s a joyous type of commotion here in the hospital tonight that was so palpable, I could literally feel it down in my room. It’s the sound of inspiration…and the sounds of anticipating something exciting. It’s also the kind of sound I’ve always wanted to hear all my life…so I had to go and peek around the corner that looks into the group activity room to see what was stirring up the whole place. I remember a few past activities that brought out the best in us in the activity room—but never like this. Looks like a big box of various DVD’s and CD’s arrived in a mail shipment…and the kids are huddled around a boom box playing a CD by someone named Katharine McPhee. I think I just heard some nurses go by me saying that there’s a rumor this Katharine McPhee might stop by our hospital tonight for a surprise visit. It’s Christmas Eve, you know. I’ve never had a chance to see a notable person in this hospital before either, which makes tonight one of the most interesting nights I’ve ever seen in here.
I can’t believe the sound of Katharine’s voice on that CD the other kids are playing. It may be one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard in my short life. Well, I’m only 12 and have my own private room not far down the hall. I’m kind of independent from the other kids recently and might be a little out of the loop. Even though I’ve had cancer like a lot of kids here, I had it extra bad compared to the others. And that sometimes made me unable to participate in a lot of activities here. But lately, I’ve snuck out of my room on my own to take in various things the other kids have going on. I remember now hearing about Katharine McPhee’s name and that program she started where people could donate money to bring in DVD’s and CD’s to the kids in various children’s hospitals. Ironic that her own CD of her singing ‘Over the Rainbow’ is playing in the activity room…and everybody’s transfixed with her voice. There’s some kind of form of healing going on there…I can tell.
Now a nurse is coming in and turning the CD off for a minute. She’s telling the kids to come out of their trances for a minute and get ready to meet a special guest. I’m expecting some old guy dressed like Santa Claus to come in the room any minute—though I’ve always been able to detect the sound of those older guys playing Santa coming down the main hallway based on the jingling sounds they usually make while they move around. That’s usually from the little bells attached to their knapsack loaded with candy canes and other little things they pass out to the kids. Right now, it seems eerily quiet down that hallway as if it’s someone else entirely…and maybe entering from a different direction. It’s so quiet I can even hear the breathing of the kids in the activity room. I can tell they anticipate someone different arriving tonight too.
Oh My God—I was right! It’s Katharine McPhee! And she and her entourage just came down the hallway I’m standing in…because there’s an alternate entrance down the way from here. They also managed to sneak up behind me without me hearing anything—though I notice that Katharine and her group are trying to stay quiet to surprise the other kids. Funny she and her entourage didn’t notice me standing here right away…but I hope she will later. I’ll be here watching what she does with those other kids. They just now went wild when they saw her enter the room—and I’ve never seen kids in this hospital beam with as much excitement as they are right now. Katharine looks like she’s ecstatic herself as if she’d rather be nowhere else but here right now. Plus, it’s early evening when a lot of famous people would be with their families having a big dinner for Christmas Eve. It’s really a mutual feeling of happiness and respect from both sides, which I’ve never really noticed that strongly before when famous people visited here before. I don’t remember a famous person ever visiting on Christmas Eve either.
Well, seeing all this really energizes me too. Perhaps Katharine picks that up in me—because after she just did some small talk with those other kids, she started getting into a serious discussion with them about things that make them feel better. Almost all the kids said that having someone visit here that inspires them made them feel better for awhile. They all admitted that having Katharine there was the thing that will sustain them mentally into the new year. I’m aware that many of them are terminal with various illnesses and may not live another year. It’s also obvious Katharine realizes this herself…because a genuine tear has been slowly going down her cheek for the last few minutes. Though it seems she detects more than that going on here in this hospital. I hope she realizes I’m still over here. Coincidentally, she just asked one of the nurses if she can go walk up the hallway a minute to gain her composure—and check out a room she was interested in. The nurse gave the ok and walked with her up to the point of the hallway near where I’m still standing. I suspect that she knows I’m here somewhere…and wants to search for me.
Now she’s telling the nurse that she wants to wander down the hallway by herself for minute. I’ll just trail her and see where she goes…and it’s obvious she’s heading for the doorway where my room is. Now she’s going into the room for a minute. In there, she’ll discover that we generally have about four or five kids living together in the same treatment rooms. A lot of the times, we’re bedridden, but we have moments like the one today where it takes us away from all that and makes us believe we’re healthy. Katharine’s also looking at all the empty beds that are in that room. Most of them are empty because those kids are out there in the activity room where I hope she’ll go back after she’s done in here. Though I suspect it’s going to be a little longer before she gets back there.