PATCH ADAMS
ABOUT PATCH ADAMS
Susan Carew-Holmes was invited by Patch’s brother Wildman to travel to Russia to join the ‘Healing with Humour’ Tour. He inspired her work (see below)
Who is Patch Adams?
Dr. Patch Adams is an American clown doctor. Some may remember the film about him starring Robin Williams. Patch has for two decades been travelling the world to inspire peace, love and unity.
Happiness is a change of attitude. It is a decision to be happy and pass your smile from one to the other.
Patch Adams made a decision at a critical juncture when he wanted to end his life and voluntary admitted himself to a mental institution. The critical choice was to see differently and be happy. He could continue to live in misery and end his life or live to his highest potential and be happy. His positive choice changed the world.
Patch studied to become a medical doctor. He chose unorthodox techniques such as clowning, play, laughter to engage and rehumanise doctors. He released stress and encouraged fun for frightened patients in pain.
At the University they found his practices unorthodox and like anyone not fitting the model they threatened to kick him out of Medical school as he didn’t take it seriously. On his file was the crime of ‘excessive happiness’. Today we learn of the same seriousness now calling happiness ‘toxic happiness’ as if a harmful disease when it is our natural state of wellbeing.
The Hollywood movie ‘Patch Adams’
This scene is from the movie Patch Adams. Patch is teaching the medical establishment what being a healer is really about. Patch talks about the importance of humanity in medicine not self importance. He asks the doctors to define treatment. He communicates ‘service’, ‘caring’, ‘listening’ and helping people. He raises the issue of arrogance and self importance reminding them of ‘status’ not true caring for a sick person. He spoke of the disease of ‘indifference’ and ‘distance’. He said the medical teachings were wrong, he spoke of the mission to improve the quality of life, he said when you treat the (real) person, you win. Many have lost the way these days, as they are in it for the money. This is not caring for the sick.
My Mother’s Death in a Nursing Home
I lost my mother on 13/1/2023 through medical practices that I have questioned deeply and had their basis in profit, detachment and judgement. Unfortunately doctors didn’t learn from Patch’s film as it was a message sent to this fraternity. The real care has been lost, my mother said to me at times ‘they don’t care’. My mother was not seen as a precious human being but rather she was reduced to a medical condition and diagnosed as non compliant (disease) rather than respecting her right to say no to interventions that did not make her better but actually were killing her. No-one sat down and really got to know her as time is money rather than a public service. My mother was given end of life drugs against her will and religious belief. She was not cared for. I felt the inhumanity as I watched my mum decline slowly dying and in pain without Palliative Care when she wanted to live. She died in pain unable to call for help. Her death changed my life.
The real disease as Patch says is ‘indifference‘. Detachment is caused by busy schedules, lack of staffing, arrogance, status, and privatisation (profiteering) which has commercialised medicine and is a problem in health care as treatment profits not cures. They want repeat customers.
Medicine is a business not a vocation whereby investors, public-private corporations, scientists, biotechnology experts and other players seek to profit from sick patients and more classifications of disease due to infections and inflammation.
The Hippocratic Oath to ‘Save Lives’ has been weakened to an a new pathway whereby doctors and health professionals can implement Voluntary Assisted Dying to assist patients to die. Shifting their obligations from saving their lives to facilitating death. They cite unbearable suffering as the rationale and call it compassion (in some cases it may be).
Medicine is a science not a healing modality. It is about chemistry and now genetic engineering and biotechnology viewing the body as parts or gene sequences to be edited. It is no longer about holistic healing which in reality is balance.
In the film Patch walks into the room of a famous scientist Arthur Mendelson. He provides wisdom no machine learning could answer. He is a mathematician yet feels his humanity which deepens intelligence. Symbols are not brand images they are insights that house the tree of life.
Arthur Mendelson advised Patch to see beyond facts and asks him ‘how many can you see’. He sees 8. To learn to see what no-one else sees or wants to see. To learn to see the world anew each day. Only love heals.
It was Einstein who said:
“no problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. We must learn to see the world anew.”
I know happiness and love is The Way to healing our world. Happiness and real care is what our world is crying out for. This detachment and objectivisation of humanity that we see amplified by digitisation is disconnecting us from those very precious social bonds.
Happiness is the real healing as the desire to live arises. It is in our misery that people want to die (assisted dying). All in reality want to live a quality of life, which can be medically achieved.
The ‘real’ Patch Adams
Patch when studying medicine clowned around as a student doctor with children and started something new. He brought joy to the children and brought his message to adults. That is the power of choosing happiness and choosing life. He asked how can i in every single moment be an instrument to peace, justice and care. he decided to be happy every second of his life. He identified 6 qualities: Happy, funny, loving, cooperative, creative and thoughtful. Clowning was a trick to get love close. He is a fool. Fools are held sacred by the Gods. Have a listen to what Patch said on TEDx.
Patch Adams says: Depression is a symptom of loneliness. So do doctors give anti-depressants or connect the patient with community groups?
Patch’s free hospital never received a grants. All his staff had to have other jobs. He knew he had to become famous, even though they didn’t like the media. He is on the road 350 days per year for 28 years (more now). He focused on community. He is a peace activist, the idea was to love the world. He spoke of loving ‘the enemy’.
His clown trips was to love Russian people. You don’t need training as a clown. He took clowns into Afghanistan, refugee camps, war zones, orphanages and nursing homes etc.
Clowning with Patch in Russia
Patch’s brother Wildman invited Susan on Patch’s Healing with Humour Tour to Russia remembering his philosophy of:
Laughter is the best Medicine
I had the joy of travelling with Patch to Russia in 2002 as a Peace Clown. On my return I reflected on how effective clowning had been in creating unity and re-humanising people. He called this a ‘love revolution’ – yes making love not war. Patch has travelled to Russia for 41 years but a clown for more than 50 years. The Healing with Humour tour was a peace initiative to thaw US/Russian relations and be an example of joy to the world. He changed millions of lives when he decided to be happy.
Patch’s brother Wildman rang me from Washington and said Patch would like me to come. I had 7 weeks to raise $7,500 to go to Russia for 2 weeks. I was a student. I clowned at the Canberra Hospital with Robyn Handbury and she told me her mother-in-law may help. I would like to warmly thank Robyn Handbury and her mother-in-law Helen Handbury (sister of Rupert Murdoch) for sponsoring my trip to Russia. It changed my life. Through this experience I can change the lives of many others.
Robyn’s blog on her Russian trip: https://www.docfunny.com/russia.htm
I’d like to thank Patch for allowing me the experience which inspired my REAL HOPE program and continuing my work for peace and happiness.
(kiss kiss, hug, hug, love you).
Slide Show
Clowning in Russia.
Slide Show
Speech
The Love Revolution.
Speech
Extracts from my trip to Russia. This was the beginning of exploring the Fool within me and others. To love people is our true nature. Fear shuts down who we are, so when you find the courage to step out of your comfort zone, albeit to be a Fool, you step into joy and see everyone as beautiful (beautifool).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACVp82huzgI