Biography Dr.

Patch Adams

Hunter Doherty Adams, more known as the Dr. Patch Adams, was born on May

28th, 1945 in Washington D.C, USA, popularly known for being the doctor of the

"Laugh therapy", besides diplomat, writer and social activist.

Nevertheless, Dr. Patch Adams's history has not been easy. His father was an

official of the army of the United States who fought in Korea, but being in Germany

he found the death, and due to this tragic event, already teen Patch and his

mother returned to The United States, it was in this moment of his life that realized

the great social injustice that existed in his natal country, turning it then into white

of bullying of his schoolmates. As a result of that, turned into a person with

suicidal tendency, being hospitalized by at least three times in one year for

wanting to end with his life. In the year 1963 his mother decides to hospitalize it

in a psychiatric hospital, it was there where he realized his first act of help, since

there was sharing piece with Rudy, a teenager who was suffering from

hallucinations, so Patch decided to improvise an entertaining and happy war

against the creatures that were tormenting to Rudy, achieving that his friend was

stopping being afraid. To the time, Patch goes away of the hospital, to register in

Virginia's medical college, and in the year 1971 already it had his doctor's title of

medicine.

He decided to be a doctor in order to use this profession as tool of social change,

since it was dreaming of a friendly and happy place where the persons were not

afraid to his disease and treat it, and where his health was not separating them

from their families, as consequence of this idea, Patch and a few friends managed

to found Gesundheit! Institute, which worked as free hospital for 12 years. During

this process he knew Linda Edquist, fellow student, whom he married in the year
1975 and they had two children, Atomic Zagnut y Largs Zig, lamentably the

marriage did not prosper many years more since they separated in the year 1998.

His love for this profession does not limit itself in one single place, but this doctor

of the Laugh therapy, devotes himself every year accompanied by a group of

volunteers, to travelling for the world, in order to take happiness, hope and

amusement to orphans, patients and to the people in general, dressed as colorful

and cheerful clowns, also in company of music, visual arts, literature, dance and

plays. It is the medical only one that has been capable of integrating the laugh to

the modern medicine since this one has ends medical and therapeutic. Between

the activities that are realized: delivery of material (as paintbrushes, pencils,

notebooks and chalk) in order that the children could draw, magic carpet where

histories, stories and songs are told, workshops on the love and sexuality to

teenagers, and an alone workshop for women in order that they could share their

experiences.

Also he has formed a strategic alliance with different institutions to realize a plan

of social help inside some countries, as Peru. It devotes itself to realize also

conferences to student of medicines to incite to develop compassionate bonds

with their patients in congresses and visit with many frequency hospitals of the

whole world where the principal ingredient is the humor and the game, since he

thinks that they are essential elements for the emotional and physical health.

During his professional life has achieved successful recognitions due to the work

that he realizes, in addition he has been nominated as a teacher of the Peruvian

University Cayetano Heredia by the valuable contribution to patients and

vulnerable populations about the world. Also his life and the book Gesundheit

had an adjustment to the cinema, in the year 1998 across the movie called Patch
Adams, directed by Tom Shadyac and interpreted by the already deceased Robin

Williams, was and it continues being a box-office success. Has been creator of

about six works, where he relates parts from his life, speech on the institute

Gesundheit, the Laugh therapy, among other things.

This 72 year-old famous doctor, insists that the friendship and the love are the

best medicine, and that the laugh is just a way of facilitating a better health

condition. The happy doctor is characterized by his long white hair, his great

moustache, and his multicolored clothes, accompanied of a smile and good

humor, affirming that his maximum ambition is to create " happy hospitals " in the

whole world.

The dream of a happy hospital was founded by the doctor Patch Adams and

friends in the year 1971, the Institute called Gesundheit! (Health! In english),

medical center created in a rural zone of West Virginia. This hospital is based on

the friendship, where the staff lives in the installation with his family in a collective

environment of happiness, love, creativity and cooperation, where this

atmosphere would improve the treatment and would relieve the suffering. This

institute in without ends of profit, since from 2007 they began a campaign of

collection of funds for future constructions of center educations and clinics, to

train future doctors of the "Laugh therapy".