Circus visits patients at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey also donated $10K to hospital

ORLANDO, Fla. – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is bringing the circus to the patients at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

The clowns and acts stopped by the hospital Tuesday afternoon to deliver the best dose of medicine, laughter.

[WEB EXTRA: Elephants to retire to Central Florida facility ]

"It's important for them to laugh, it's important for them to smile, it's important for them to spend time with their family outside of a clinical space or hospital room," Zach Kallenbach with the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation said.

Many of the patients are not able to attend the circus while it is in town this week. The ringmaster, along with several acts, performed for the children to make sure they wouldn't miss the show.

"I think it's cool how they bring things like this here. Just to get out of their room and to get outside and see new people and be able to laugh through the hard times, I think is awesome," Cayden's mother Autumn Whitson said.

Along with the smiles, the circus also brought another gift: a $10,000 donation to go toward the hospital's pediatric cancer research.

"To make sure families, not just in Central Florida, but families all over the United States benefit from that research," Kallenbach said.

Ringling Bros. is also helping with that mission through the new cancer research involving its elephants.

"This is bigger than anything we've ever done. We may actually be on the cusp of curing this terrible disease," Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson said.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's "Legends" will be hosting shows at the Amway Center from Thursday through Monday.


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