Second Chance to Make Kids Laugh

Wes Flener knows a lot about making people laugh. For years, he has been using humor in his respiratory therapist practice, bringing smiles to patients' faces during otherwise difficult times. Wes's clown kit includes his trademark red rubber noses, wacky hats, rubber chickens, horns, bells, yo-yos, and pacifiers . . . "just in case the nose doesn't get them."

 Watch video: Low (Dial-up modem) | High (Cable, DSL, T1)

Read video transcript.

Note: You'll need Windows Media® Player to watch videos.

Get Windows Media® Player 9. Follow the instructions provided.

Wes Flener also knows a lot about pain. In 1985, he was diagnosed with mitral stenosis and two years later he underwent open-heart surgery to repair the defective valve. (Learn more about what to expect during mitral valve repair.)

By 1994, doctors determined that his aortic valve was leaking. Later that year, doctors replaced Wes's mitral and aortic valves with two St. Jude Medical® mechanical heart valves, the industry's gold standard. When Wes asked his doctor, "What kind of warranty do I get?" he was told that his valves should last a lifetime. Wes also needed a pacemaker to regulate his heart.

But Wes's medical problems were not over. Within a week after surgery, while still at the hospital, he went into cardiac arrest, and over the next five years, he experienced two light strokes. As Wes took stock of his life, he decided to make some important changes. He switched careers—becoming a respiratory therapist—and he changed himself—shedding his self-described serious personality to become a fun-loving clown.

When the movie, Patch Adams, was released, portraying a West Virginia physician who famously used humor in his practice, Wes wrote to him, sharing some of his own stories. In response, Dr. Adams invited Wes to accompany him on trips to China and Russia, where goodwill ambassadors brought humor, love, and compassion to children at schools, orphanages, and hospitals. "My St. Jude Medical heart valves have allowed me to experience so much this past decade," says Wes. "When I can bring a smile to a child's suffering face, I truly know I have a purpose in life."