As a therapeutic clown working in hospitals and clinics, Fif Fernandes knows that laughter really is the best medicine. 

By Gail Fredrickson

Manoeuvring the busy hallways at Alberta Children’s Hospital with Fif Fernandes, BFA’84, is a little like tagging along with a movie star on a city street. People point and wave and smile, often calling out to her. She stops and chats with everyone—all the children, parents, doctors, nurses and hospital staff.

To the astonishment of her young friends, she pulls tiny lights from behind her ears while amusing noises emanate, seemingly, from inside of her. At the same time, her custom-made, baggy pant legs move up and down on strings, her colourful vest exposes little treasures tucked into “secret” pockets, and the pretty red star fixed to her nose is sparkling.

Fernandes is a therapeutic clown as well as a certified laughter yoga teacher. In her work at the Children’s Hospital, she is recognized and adored as Jumpa the clown. She is also a familiar presence at the Peter Lougheed Centre in the pediatric and neonatal units. As Jumpa, she also visits hospitals, emotional wellness clinics and outpatient clinics throughout the city.

“I love improvisation and physical humour—using both to communicate, to make people laugh and hopefully to bring some colour, relief and joy to a clinical atmosphere thus relieving the stress of a traumatic experience. I adored Red Skelton, the Three Stooges, Lucille Ball . . .” says Fernandes.