The then five-year-old little girl was dressed as a clown, and now, all these years later, White is still clowning around.
About four years ago White decided to take her interest in clowning and do something more with it when she started hospital clowning.
With a costume of bright primary colours — including yellow, red and blue — her alter ego Lollipop was born and unofficially has become the clown of Western Memorial Regional Hospital.
She recently shared what it means to be a hospital clown and healing with humour during a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Corner Brook.
As a nurse, White said she’s always used humour in her nursing, and always felt there was a need to have clowns in hospitals. Becoming that clown just made sense to her.
So much so that she describes hospital clowning as her “true love.”
White has a clinical speciality in pediatric oncology and thought clowning on the pediatric floor would be where she’d get the most enjoyment.
Instead, she’s found her niche somewhere else.
“I love clowning for adults in the hospital. Because they don’t expect to see you,” she said.
White said the clown gives them a connection with their childhood and just helps to take away the stresses of the moment.
“To take people away from the setting that they’re in,” she said. “Just bring a smile and take them away from the true surroundings for a moment.”
White said it may be the costume, but Lollipop does make a connection with people.
“I’ve had a few touching moments, things that you kind of don’t anticipate or expect when you arrive there,” she said of the reward she gets.
And sometimes that connection goes so deep that people ask White and Lollipop to share in and bring joy to their last moments.
“You don’t anticipate that they’ve made that connection with you, but they have,” she said.
“To know that you’ve been there and that somebody’s valued that, you take away as much as you give them.”
Her role at the hospital is still unofficial, but White said she has gained the acceptance of not only the patients but also the staff at the hospital. It seems Lollipop can also lighten the mood of staff as they deal with trying situations.
Donning the costume has also given White more than one boost.
“It certainly does your heart good.”
While she started out with a focus on the hospital, it didn’t take long before White was getting requests for Lollipop to show up at community events and birthday parties and that’s something she never anticipated.
White said Lollipop has evolved as a character over the past few years and she’s always looking to learn more.
For the past couple of years that’s meant attending the Mooseburger Clown Arts Camp in Minnesota. This past summer White focused on training in being a hospital clown at the camp.
It’s White’s dream that one day the hospital might have that official clown, but until that happens Lollipop will be sure to keep making those unofficial visits.
