I was born in Medina, North Dakota in 1924. As a young boy I was very clumsy. I played basketball but I had problems. I was told by a colonel several years ago that when I was in the service I looked as though I was walking in a ploughed field because I picked my feet up so high, but they liked me so much they kept me on. After serving in the amphibious unit in the army for a little over three years, I left happy and healthy and began work with a partner in a John Deere franchise for farm implements.

In 1950 I sold that and built a movie theatre, the most fun I ever had. We used to go through 100 pounds of popcorn on a weekend. The bigger the storm, the bigger the crowd. They came for 50 miles on bobsleds. Then TV hit us like pulling a curtain and I switched to a Pigley Wigley Supermarket and managed that until 1955. Our daughter was born in 1952 with spina bifida and about five years later we were bankrupt thanks to medical bills.

I then went into arson investigation with the State Fire Marshall's office and got an ulcer over that. It seems all I did was put poor farmers into jail who had burned down their barns to feed their families. I moved to Seattle soon after that because the March of Dimes had zeroed in on spina bifida and I wanted to be close to the research at the U. of Washington. I couldn't find a job so I created my own as a toy and giftware manufacturer's representative. When you've got three children you've got to find something. I was desperate and they pointed to the welfare office. That's all I needed. The next day I went to work for myself in a job I'd made for myself. It worked out beautifully. I could sleep in my station wagon and eat peanut butter sandwiches, and sometimes I was gone for six weeks at a time but I always came back. The business was successful and grew and our daughter ended up walking after many surgeries at the March of Dimes clinic.

After the Second World War, I joined the Shrine. I knew they did a lot of good and I wanted to be part of it. You had many choices as to what you could do in the Shrine and I chose the clowning unit. That was North Dakota in 1950 with the Jamestown Shrine Clowns, a unit of the El Zagel Shrine Temple. We worked many small town celebrations, parades, hospitals, birthday parties, retirement and nursing homes, picnics and the local crippled children's school.

I didn't know I had CMT then. I had trouble standing and walking but I'd had stomach surgery and put on a lot of weight and I thought that was the problem. I always had a real problem doing the nursing home visits and never knew just why until I retired but that had nothing to do with CMT.

We moved to Seattle in 1961 and got so involved in the marketing business that there was little time left for clowning. Upon retiring, my wife, Alta, realized that if we stayed in beautiful Seattle I would continue working, so we made different plans. We spend our winters inn Arizona and in the northwest and travel during the summers. I might mention that she has always been very supportive of my clowning over the years and this really helps, and now that we know I have CMT, she is behind me in that as well.

Retirement was a difficult adjustment for me. However, I soon discovered that it's a time to pause and think about life. I wanted to make the rest of my life count. The Lord had so blessed me and I wanted to give something back. I felt that I could do this best by ministering to his people in nursing homes, though I get requests for many other places.

After arriving at this decision, and after much prayer, I approached a local nursing home and spoke to the director of activities. After telling her a little of my background and showing her my photo album, I shared with her just what I had in mind. She told me, in no uncertain terms, that something they did not need or desire was more entertainment. What they needed was people to interact with the patients on a one-to-one basis, such as doing fingernails, hair or just visiting with the patients individually.

Her comments hit me like a bolt of lightning. This was why I had had such a problem in nursing homes in earlier years. I had tried to entertain groups of patients rather than interacting on a one-to-one basis. In North Dakota and Seattle, there were always heads bobbing – people falling off to sleep – and it took all these years for me to discover that these dear old souls' attention span is very short!

Needless to say, I found this ministry very rewarding and soon discovered these dear old souls really need us. Many seniors seem to be put into these homes and are more or less forgotten. They are lonesome, No one seems to care or comes to visit them. Well, I had a small circus wagon built. I always bring this on my visits with a tape recorder playing circus music, or more often children's songs, and they love it!

On the wagon I carry a minimal number of props and I use different ones on each visit. I use a variety of them, from puppets to the Bible coloring book. I keep the props very simple so as not to confuse the patients in any way. In the wagon I also carry stickers that say "Jesus Loves You" which I place on the patient's blouse or shirt. I also carry a small gift for each patient and nurse. One time I may leave them a small toy, another time a box of Kleenex, candy, bananas, and the list goes on.

You forget everything when you are interacting, nothing bothers me, in particular my CMT, when I'm working. When I get home I'm emotionally drained but I'm high from all the wonderful experiences.

One day a man who was visiting a patients asked me, "How can you afford to give each patient a gift?" I responded with a question for him. I asked him if he smoked, drank, or gambled. He answered yes to all three questions. My reply was that I don't smoke, drink or gamble; therefore I can justify the gifts since it costs me about the same. I realize that many may not agree with me on this gift policy but we all have the privilege of doing as we desire.

Every other week I take my miniature schnauzer, Heidi, with me on my visits. I have to be careful as not everyone likes dogs. Generally they love her and she loves them. One dear lady was so withdrawn she hadn't spoken a word in over three years. With Heidi's help she opened up and began talking and she hasn't stopped talking since.

I've had no problem with my CMT whatsoever in the years that I've clowned in nursing homes. Nursing home ministry just takes a little common sense. For example, if the door is closed or the nurse or doctor is in the room, I don't go in but return later.

I also visit the nursing homes as Santa at Christmas. They bring the patients into the dining room or activity room at which time I make an opening statement such as "I am here today for one reason, and one reason alone, and that is to help you celebrate Christ's birthday," I later attempt to visit those patients who were unable to attend.

This is a very rewarding ministry and I receive much more out of it than do the patients. What a joy!

My hands are partially numb and sometimes they are totally asleep especially during the night. I have a lot of numbness in my feet and I have trouble walking and standing. I really wasn't diagnosed until five years ago but in spite of it I carry on and I feel very grateful that I've been given so long without severe symptoms that might have stopped my work and/or my clowning.

By the way, my daughter with spina bifida has given us two beautiful grandsons and our other daughter two granddaughters, and my son has two great boys both with CMT as my son has also. One of those boys is studying medicine.

I am now 70 and I know I have been richly blessed.