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SALT LAKE CITY — The 15-pound toddler perked up in her mother's arms and craned her neck to get the best view of the dogs — fuzzy poodles doing tricks on stage.
"She's so happy. It's so good to see her like this," said Ireena Gee, who also enjoyed the change of pace brought by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus preview at Primary Children's Hospital on Thursday.
Gee's daughter, Adella Rose, is 2 and isn't growing very quickly because her body doesn't digest food well enough. The condition has put the family in and out of the hospital for most of Adella's short life, with more to come, inevitably.
Hailey Sutton, 6, also claims Primary Children's as a second home, as she attends appointments for her ongoing care at least twice a month. She missed the show Thursday, but Ringling's clowns were quick to improvise, helping to put a smile on Hailey's face.
"It's really sweet," said her mother, Heather Sutton. "She spends a lot of time here and something special like this helps her so she enjoys coming back next time."
The circus, which is in town for a five-day run at EnergySolutions Arena, stopped at the hospital with a couple acts in tow, including clowns, dancers, contortionists and stunt dogs. Ringmaster David Shipman said the outreach also means a lot to performers.
"When you think of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, you think 'family,'" he said. "We love to give back to the families that make our show what it is."
Ed Clark, Primary Children's chief medical officer, said the circus provided just what patients and their families need at this time — a distraction from the challenges they are facing.
"We want children to have joy," he said, adding that Thursday's performance brought back memories of his own childhood and seeing the circus for the first time 65 years ago.
The Ringling Bros. circus, which claims to be "the greatest show on earth," tours 13 countries and invites participants from all over the world. This year's performance, Shipman said, includes a million rhinestones to give greater allure to its hundreds of performers and more than 80 animals.
She's so happy. It's so good to see her like this.
–Ireena Gee
As patients were taken back to their rooms following the short show Thursday, it was clear the small circus had left an impression — even sitting in wheelchairs and propped up in wagons, toting intravenous poles and tubes behind them, the kids were smiling and excited to have been a part of the magic of the Circus XTREME.
The hospital provides various activities and events for patients throughout the year, but Clark said the circus visit is "something special. This is a notch above the rest."
