Molly Penny the clown marks 20 years of lifting spirits at CHEO
With her electric blue hair, bag of tricks and sense of humour, Molly Penny has played a vital role helping patients and families as CHEO's therapeutic clown for decades.
"She was actually a good friend for me and my husband being there, and she was great with the other kids," said parent Krystal Moreau. "Abigail would look forward to going to CHEO just to see Molly."
This year marks Molly Penny's 20th volunteer year.
"I'm really truly blessed to be in this situation because humour is amazing how it changes the situation from disaster mode into fun mode," said Molly Penny. "And you don't go with the medical part you just use your sense of humour and all the kids have a sense of humour."
"She is just as essential a part of our organization as the building, as the equipment, as the expertise and we just love her," said Alex Munter, CHEO president and CEO.
Molly Penny was an operating room nurse at CHEO for years before her second career was born after a clowning workshop.
"It allows them moments of laughter and fun and joy that can be a distraction to the illness or the surgery or the procedure that they need to have done," said Sarah Bigford, the development and rehabilitation clinical manager at CHEO.
There's no shortage of stories and surprises involving Molly Penny. Bigford recalls one time when she helped a shy boy meet one of his favourite hockey players during a visit with the Ottawa Senators.
"She sort of prepared him with some jokes and tricks that he could use as bit of an opening to warm up his conversation with the players and it just warmed my heart to see how she helped him achieve really something that was so important to him," Bigford said.
Molly Penny is there for kids and families through tough times too.
"You have to go with the plan with the kid and leave the parents in the background because you know what they're feeling and so once the kid starts to laugh then the parents eventually do come around, even though it's sad moments," Molly Penny said.
Molly Penny said the kids will always come first.
"I just like working with kids and that's the bottom line. The bottom line is … even if the Queen was here or Mr. Munter it wouldn't matter, the kid gets priority," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.