We Found Shadi

How much does this life really make us think? I often think about how sometimes we can do something small, simple, light, and gentle to help ourselves get through a difficult moment, especially when we’re tired, sad, or… Oh! I even forgot to tell you who I am. I’m Doctor Keshik Abu Laban, a specialist in Mansaf dish and a world expert in mathematics. I love cooking and numbers very, very, very much.

Every week, I go to the hospital to meet new children, to play, laugh, talk, and create moments of happiness together. Today, I want to tell you about something that happened to me. The incident was simple, but it deeply affected me , both as a healthcare clown and as a human being. As part of my work, I visit children in hospitals and spread laughter and joy among them. I always go in full of excitement, ready to spread energy. One day, my colleague Awad Kabseh and I headed to the hospital and began our “happiness tour.”  There are many children I always remember after each visit, but during that visit, one child stayed engraved in my memory. His name was Shadi. Shadi was such a sweet, cheerful child, but he couldn’t move. When I walked into his room and saw him, he was sitting on the bed, looking at me from the corner of his eye and smiling. The whole time, I was talking, and he was smiling back. Then I thought: Why don’t I sing him a Fairouz song?

 So I began singing a famous nostalgic Fairouz song, a song about a young girl who used to play with a boy named Shadi when they were children. Shadi was fascinated. He listened with full attention and kept smiling because his name appeared in the song.

 His reaction grew stronger with time; he started clapping and laughing. My colleague was doing funny movements for him, and I was happily singing, fully enjoying the moment. Despite Shadi’s joy, he unfortunately suffered from muscular atrophy, so he couldn’t speak at all.  But I knew he was hearing me well because every time he smiled or laughed, he opened his mouth wide, showing his tiny pearl-like teeth all lined up perfectly. I felt happiness just by being there with him. As a healthcare clown, I also need to feel joy, just like the sick children do. Their laughter inspires me to keep spreading happiness and to feel it myself as well. I can’t describe how beautiful his smile was. I spent the entire day remembering his laughter and softly humming the song for Shadi.