Laughing Out Loud

Angels Among Us

by

During the week, Mark Maxwell-Smith writes, produces, and creates game shows. On weekends, he becomes an angel to hundreds of critically ill children. He plays with and entertains children in hospitals and family camps. I first met Mark at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles while he was entertaining children with cancer. One month later, at the Staple Center, I saw Mark at a Painted Turtle event for families with loved ones with kidney disease. He always had a child nearby with a smile on his or her face. They would shout out "Pun (Mark's nickname), show us another magic trick!" Raised in New York City, Mark always had a fascination with magic. An uncle gave Mark's older brother a magic kit and Mark learned the tricks. In college, he put on free magic shows and worked at an underprivileged kids' camp.

California, Here I Come After moving to California in 1969, he found his niche in the game show business. He worked on the hit shows Truth or Consequences, Beat the Clock, Name that Tune and dozens more. In his free time, he performed magic shows at UCLA's Children's Hospital to cheer up the kids, "It's a place where very few get the rewards that I get everyday," Mark shares. "The kids give me so much more than I can give them." Everyone has a gift, be it as an athlete, singer, or rocket scientist. Mark's gift is his sixth sense. He finds children in need and puts smiles on their faces. He is a gentle man who volunteers his time, because he feels so honored to stand in the shadows of giants. These kids have taught him patience, elegance, courage, and giving. "These kids are true heroes," he says with a smile on his face, "I love them as much as I love my own two spectacular daughters."

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times Ten years ago, Mark became a counselor at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times where children diagnosed with cancer go, cost-free, to overcome the physical, mental, and emotional barriers posed by the disease. During pre-camp training, a counselor told Mark that he should have a camp nickname. Known to be a jokester, one of Mark's standard jokes is "I asked my Teddy Bear if he would like to have lunch", he replied, "No, thanks, I'm already stuffed." The counselor thought Pun was a perfect name for Mark. Mark thought, "Who wants to be named after bad jokes," then realized they had accepted him as part of the team. The first day of camp, a child said "Hey Pun, what are we doing next?" The nickname just clicked. A few nights later, he called his beloved wife and, with tears in his eyes, told her "I've finally found my home." Volunteering and entertaining critically ill children in a camp setting brought together all the elements of who he is and what he wants to bring to life.

Padres Contra El Cancer Through camp, he started another exciting journey. He volunteered at Padres Contra El Cancer, an organization for Spanish speaking families with children who have cancer.

His lovely wife, Melinda (they will celebrate their 36th wedding anniversary this year), grew up in Echo Park and knew Spanish. She taught him enough words to perform his magic act. Mark's form of communication is universal for these kids - he encourages them to laugh out loud. Recently, the organization honored him with their prestigious "Gracias Award" at Angels Stadium..

The Painted Turtle Another passion is volunteering at The Painted Turtle, a member of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. It provides a cost-free camp experience for children with life-threatening and chronic illnesses. Among the dozen of diagnoses are Asthma, Kidney Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Spina Bifida, and Hemophilia. These kids come to camp feeling very different from other kids, and by the end of camp they feel they belong and have friends who share the same experiences. Pun often seeks out the siblings of these kids. "Many times parents are so focused on second opinions, special treatments, and test results, that the siblings don't get a lot of attention," he shared. Pun does magic programs, theater games and puppet workshops for siblings, as well as patients. In a supportive context created by medical and child life experts, Pun and the other counselors help the children do the real magic of overcoming challenges and spreading joy.

Outreach Mark also volunteers on Monday nights for a grief group. Occasionally, a sibling comes to him at one of the camps and sadly says "Pun, my sister died." He tries hard to bring those grieving back to a joyful place again. He has also started volunteering with Camp Ronald McDonald and The Painted Turtle in their respective Hospital Outreach programs. Counselors bring arts and crafts, music, puppetry and magic to hospitals to let sick children have a camp experience. It also lets the medical professionals and parents become aware of these special camps available to them and their families. Parents at these camps tell the directors, "I don't know who has more fun, Pun or the kids." He is an angel to children and families who are struggling to maintain hope. His personality gives them a boost to fight their battles and hopefully beat their critical illness. If you have a heart full of love, volunteer for one of the following organizations, or donate to these worthy causes to help keep critically ill kids smiling and laughing out loud.

Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times: www.campronaldmcdonald.org, or call (800) 625-7295.

Padres Contra El Cancer: www.iamhope.org, or call (800) 269-4186.

The Painted Turtle: www.thepaintedturtle.org, or call (310) 451-1353.

Jill Weinlein lives in La Canada and enjoys meeting Angels Among Us. Know an Angel? Tell Jill at weinlein@familymagazinegroup.com.