On the Beat with Open Heart Magic

On Friday evening, my nephew Matt and I joined several hundred people for a magical evening. Tricks Are For Kids fundraiser featured several of their volunteer magicians, but the real magic goes well beyond the prestidigitation we saw up close.

In 2003, Mike Walton, a commodities trader in Chicago, started performing close-up magic for hospitalized children at Rush Children’s Hospital.  Over months of performances, and with the assistance of Robyn Hart (Director of Child Life services), Walton honed his skills to emphasize patient interaction and empowerment.

The feedback was so tremendous, that Walton decided to enlarge the scope to include children at other hospitals, while continually improving the magic to reach all children no matter their condition. Open Heart Magic (OHM) was officially registered as a not-for-profit (NFP) organization in 2004.

Currently, OHM has 9 hospital partners.  Their 57 trained magicians made 3,563 bedside magic visits in 2012.  They plan on training 40-50 new magicians this year, with a goal of reaching 10,000 hospitalized children.

As someone who spent most of my first 8 years of life in hospitals, I have a unique perspective on OHM.  My family was always supportive of each other, but any extra visit from anyone just to break up the monotony and helplessness was always appreciated.  I can only imagine how awesome it would be to have a personal magic show performed in the room.

Despite having more things to occupy a young patient’s time now than when I was a kid, the impact of OHM can not be stressed enough.  Walton states, “We don’t want to just be a nice diversionary magic show, but a tool used by hospitals and parents to help their kids feel stronger, leaving them with something positive that will help them fight and laugh like kids should.”

OHM magicians not only perform magic, they engage the patient and family.  OHM magician (and dear friend) Chuck Gekas explains, “The main underlying theme is to bring power and decision-making to the patient. Patients (adults, too) are stripped of control…they are told when to eat, sleep, take a pill, walk, turn over, when to have an x-ray, when to bathe, etc. Our role is to have them pick a card, decide what magic word to say, etc.”

These are wonderful goals, but it all takes lot of work.  OHM has over 150 volunteers.  It has some great sponsors, like The US Playing Card Company, who supplies all of the cards used.  OHM also does fantastic fundraisers like the Tricks Are For Kids event.

The night was very entertaining.  I never get tired of magic.  The volunteer magicians never get tired of it either, as they perform it all year round to make children feel like children again.

I truly am humbled, amazed and extremely grateful for their efforts.  That little hospitalized kid in me still remembers the long days and helpless feelings.  While their sleight of hand work is entertaining, making sick patients feel like kids again is pure magic.