Josh Lozoff
is a magician. Like many other artists in the
UNC Door-To-Door Program, he's bringing magic to
the halls of the North Carolina Children's
Hospital.
"It's why artists become artists," Lozoff
said. "To make connections with people like
this."
The program's philosophy is to weave the arts
into health care. By entertaining children
admitted to the hospital, the program aims to
help patients think about their illnesses in a
different way.
Hospital patient Cameron Hughes said Lozoff's
tricks made his hospital stay much less boring.
"Whenever I come here, we usually don't have
magicians or things like that. We usually have
to sit in bed or walk around," Hughes said.
Artists come in about every two months for a
two-hour period to entertain the children. Even
nurses and doctors get to take a break from
their busy days for a little bit of fun.
The program's been going strong for eight
years now, but Director Joy Javitts said with
even more resources, it could touch even more
children's lives.
"It would be wonderful to bring it to many
hospitals, other hospitals, if I could, and also
to bring more and more people in, more often,"
Javitts said.
Lozoff said he would love to be able to come
in more often. He said the hospital is a perfect
outlet for his trade.
"A famous magician once said, 'I don't do
magic. I create magic in other people's minds,'
and the hospital is a perfect example of what
he's talking about," Lozoff said. A perfect
place to bring some magic to the lives of those
who need it most.