Acts of kindness, no matter how big or little, can go a long way in our society these days — whether you spread kindness by holding a door open for someone behind you, or by volunteering your time in your community. This story highlights Larissa Correa and Bruna Campos and their acts of kindness that bring joy, smiles and connection to those in their community who need it most.
Larissa Correa and Bruna Campos share a desire to bring happiness to the lives of others and found an outlet to do so through their involvement with the non-governmental organization (NGO), Canto Cidadão in Brazil. As volunteers at the organization, Larissa and Bruna spend their time as Doutores Cidadãos, or Citizen Doctors, that specialize in smiles, jokes, juggling and building connections.
Doutores Cidadãos (Citizen Doctors) are volunteers who dress as clown doctors and devote their time to visiting hospitals in the community. The goal is to provide some entertainment, laughs and friendship to the adults and children who may be suffering from ill health or who are experiencing a hard time due to a family member being hospitalized.
Larissa and Bruna dedicated six months to learning the language of the clown by attending workshops and lectures that would provide them with the skills they would need to be truly impactful in their community. In 2009, Larissa became Doctor Tortelita Borealis (a mixture of dough (Torta) and a bird (Trinta-réis-borealis) and in 2016, Bruna became Doctor Anelli Bem-te-vi.
As both Larissa and Bruna started their journey as Doutores Cidadãos, admittedly, there was some fear and intimidation. “I couldn’t imagine entering hospital rooms with so many people suffering and me “clowning around,” Larissa recalls. However, these fears did not hold them back, and at the end of each day, Larissa and Bruna truly felt the impact that their “clowning around” had on the lives they interacted with.
For Bruna, “The best and most beautiful thing about it all is the rawness that make us human beings. There we met real people, who were open for a chat, who wanted to share a smile, and who were just grateful that someone took time to pay them a visit.”
“We are there as citizens to welcome and soothe the feelings of the patient and, sometimes, even the person accompanying the patient. Whether it is a conversation that the patient hasn’t had in days, a joke that came out by accident, or even those moments when the patient needs to forget that he/she is in a hospital bed.
Those are the moments where we have the greatest gratitude and certainty that we are doing good by practicing empathy,”
As Doutores Cidadãos, Larissa and Bruna have learned the true impact of kindness and have gained a new appreciation for the red noses they wear so proudly as Doctor Tortelita Borealis and Doctor Anelli Bem-te-vi. Thank you, Larissa and Bruna, for practicing kindness in your communities, and for sharing your story.
