The day was off to a great start! Â I had breakfast with Cindy before Ethan and I were picked up in the hotel lobby by Beth from the Overture Center. Â We were on our way to the first activity of the day – working with some pediatric patients and their occupational therapist at the American Family Childrens Hospital. Â Ethan was able to get some great pictures BUT the memory stick on the camera suddenly went nutty and we lost them all!
After this session, we were off to grab a quick bite to eat and then on to the LUNCH AND LEARN program that Dr. Joel Wish put together. Â This is an informal session where doctors, nurses, therapists, etc. can gather and “learn” while having lunch. Â We had a great group show up and they were good magic students – often surprising themselves with some of the tricks!
After LUNCH AND LEARN, we were on our way to the next thing on the schedule – working with some adult rehab patients in the OT/PT department of University of Wisconsin Hospital. Â What started off as a few clients ended up growing as the workshop went on. Â It was so amazing to watch these adults concentrate and strain to master the movements of each trick. Â Strokes, head injury, hand injuries, and other diagnoses were all in the room…and were all learning tricks! Â It was quite an incredible moment.
After wrapping up with the adult patients, we were off to the main lobby of the American Family Childrens Hospital to put on a little show for some of the children who could come down. Â They have a great little performance area where patients and families can gather. Â They are also able to close-circuit broadcast it to the rooms of children who aren’t able to leave their rooms. Â We had a HUGE crowd, bigger than Santa Claus had in December!
After the show, we were on our way to the OT Department of the Childrens Hospital to work with some incredibly special kids. Â Once again, these guys worked hard to learn the tricks, make the “magical,” and perform them for each other and their families! Â And all the while, they are doing their therapy – you can’t get better than that!
We wrapped up with these guys around 4:00pm. Â Dr. Wish helped us get to the lobby and back to the van where Beth whisked us off to the Overture Center for the last workshop of the day. Â Another great group of people interested in magic! Â It was a fun afternoon and we finally wrapped the day around 6:30pm.
Ethan and I walked back over to the hotel (just 3 blocks away), changed clothes, picked up Cindy and Keith and explored the Capitol Square in search of Indian food. Â We found a great little place just on the other side of the hotel. Â We were starving and the food was delicious!
I’m back at the hotel now. Â I’ve spent the last hour answering emails and checking in on Facebook. Â Wayne’s been doing a bit of that for me these last few days – helping me get caught up. Â I did upload a new video on the HOCUS FOCUS project from Lincoln, NE. Â I hope you’ll check it out.
Tomorrow will start early with a 6:50am appearance on WISC TV 3’s “News 3 in the Morning.” Â Robert will pick me (and Ethan) up at 6am…that’s going to be here before I know it!