Ringling Bros. Bring Circus To Children At Sinai Hospital

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- They say laughter is the best medicine. That's the idea behind a special visit to pediatric patients at Sinai Hospital.

Amy Yensi was there for the performance.

You usually see them at arenas, using every trick in the book. This time, the circus came to the children's hospital.

The Greatest Show on Earth cheers up children in their time of need. Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey performers bring their Circus XTREME show to Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai.

The kids are getting front row access to clowns and contortionists they otherwise may not get to see.

"Not every kid has the ability, the physical ability, or the capacity to get into the circus," said Neil Meltzer, president and CEO of LifeBridge Health.

Parents we spoke to say the visit goes a long way because keeping the children's spirits up is key on their road to recovery.

"I think it's an excellent event to give the kids an opportunity to see something that they enjoy and not be as scared of coming to the hospital," said Latoya Tilghman, parent.

"He has a spinal tap scheduled for today, so he gets kind of antsy, so I figured this would boost him up," said Tiara Johnson.

Ringmaster David Shipman says laughter is the best medicine.

"We're giving them an opportunity to just be kids and have fun," said Shipman.

The performers also bring a $10,000 for the Pediatric Oncology Department at Sinai Hospital, but the kids are just there for the show.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey are also donating to 50 other children's hospitals and treatment centers across the U.S.

Ringling Brothers is funding new cancer research of elephants' DNA. Scientists are studying why there's such a low rate of cancer in elephants. They hope it will lead to new treatments for children with cancer.