David C. Jones, a comedian who laughs easily and wants just as much for others to laugh with him, knows exactly where he can always bring down the house. Not to sound selfish, he says, but the sick and terminally-ill are always ready for a good laugh. And so the 45-year-old improv actor and Vancouver Film School teacher has made it his mission to bring comedic relief to those living with life-threatening or terminal illness as well as their caregivers.
Comedic Relief For Sick Kids
“You will never find a louder, more boisterous audience than one that is having to deal with being in constant battle with their body or with their mind,” says Jones. “Sadly, and I don’t mean to sound selfish, but that is the most awesome audience in the world because they so desperately want to laugh, they need to laugh and when they do it is full-throated and gut-felt.”
Through the Laughter Mission, a registered charity he founded four years ago, Jones brings comedians, magicians, clowns and even dancers to those whose time is quickly expiring.
The effect of a good laugh can be astonishing
The effect of a good laugh, he says, can be astonishing. Sick kids who rarely talk suddenly become boisterous, as he witnessed last week at Canuck Place, and those usually consumed by their illness are given much-needed reprieve.
“[At Canucuk Place], they were saying afterwards, ‘Some of those kids never talk and you got them talking and laughing,’ ” recalls Jones. “The power of laughter is awesome. It moves mountains.”
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