A Squamish resident is seeking the community's help in bringing the holistic medical practices made famous by the real-life subject of a Hollywood movie to disadvantaged people in South America.
Kirsten Walter, who has studied holistic medicine for three years at Langara College and served as a hospice volunteer in Squamish, was inspired to sign up for an upcoming, two-week stint in the town of Belén in Peru after a friend sent her a link to a YouTube video featuring a talk by Dr. Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams, now 66.
Played by Robin Williams in the 1998 movie about his life, Adams founded an organization called the Gesundheit! Institute, "a project in holistic medical care based on the belief that one cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the family, the community, the world, and the health care system itself," according to the institute's website.
The poster for the movie featured a smiling Williams wearing a doctor's waistcoat and a red clown's nose, and indeed, bringing humour into the lives of those who are destitute and/or are suffering from grave illnesses is a part of the institute's work, Walter said.
But it goes well beyond that, she said.
"Clowning with Patch is not about entertainment - clowning simply refers to someone dressed in bright colours who is willing to connect with another human and offer support, whether it be a hug, listening to their story or bringing smiles through laughter and joy," Walter wrote in an email.
For Walter, Adams' message resonated with her own learning and belief system.
"He has this huge, lofty goal to treating people from the non-medical side and bringing compassion and the human touch to treating illnesses," she said.
"His philosophy is to look at the whole human, and when you build that connection you're really building a connection on all three levels: emotional, spiritual and physical."
Belén, population 65,000, is a city near the mouth of the Itaya River in Peru. The river floods from February to July every year, and many of the residents live in poverty with no clean water, sanitation or electricity.
From Aug. 9 to 22, Walter and other Gesundheit volunteers plan to visit with residents of Belén and to visit orphanages, hospices, hospitals as "volunteer clowns," bringing joy, a listening ear and a gentle touch to those who need it.
Asked how she intends to bridge the language barrier, Walter said, "I will have to learn to be very animated, I guess. I don't speak a lick of Spanish. I'm sure others on the trip will be able to speak some Spanish and will help me out."
Walter said she has experienced firsthand the power of a smile and a compassionate ear while working with the elderly at Squamish's Hilltop House.
"I think there's always a way to come in and bring some joy into a place that can sometimes seem like a glum situation. When you first get put into a care home, it can be a difficult thing to handle, but I think there's a lot we can do to help keep their spirits up," she said.
"I'm a really upbeat positive volunteer that will come in and connect with people and make their stay better, regardless of the situation they're in.
"When people ask me, 'Can we send something with you?' what I say is that if you can support me, then I'm sort of the medicine for these people. They don't need the drugs or the blankets, but they need someone to make a connection with so that they don't feel like they've been forgotten."
Walter has organized a fundraiser on Saturday, July 9, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Canadian Tire parking lot to help pay for her $1,400 "tuition" to the Gesundheit program. Par-T-Perfect is donating the use of its bouncy castle and dunk tank; use of the bouncy castle is by donation, and the dunk tank will cost $5 for three balls. A silent auction will be set up from 1 to 4 p.m. As well, The Yoga Studio has agreed to donate 50 per cent of the proceeds of the studio's yoga classes on Friday, July 8, to the cause as well.
