In the children's wing of any hospital a sick child's smile can be a very rare commodity. Lea Boyce can attest to that after she spent years going back and forth between hospital and home with her young daughter Sophie. When Sophie was only three-years-old she put her delicate hand on a running treadmill and it gave her a nasty friction burn which required years of medical attention. She was referred to the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital to see a burns specialist but never expected to be treated by a doctor with face paint and pink hair. Scroll down for video . Sophie, right, spent years nurturing a relationship with her favourite clown doctor, left, Doctor Fairy Floss . On her first visit she met Dr Fairyfloss and Dr Fantastic, two colourful clown doctors who spend their days brightening the lives of children who need it the most. 'We were having to drive 5 hours to get to the hospital every week so the fact that you could spend the 5 hours talking about which clown doctor would be there was a great distraction and  therapy for her.' Sophie required painful and constant dressing changes and eventually ended up having surgery to release scar tissue after her middle finger started to retract. Sophie told Daily Mail Australia the clown doctors always went above and beyond doing 'anything they could' to give her and the other kids in the hospital a 'break from reality.' 'There would be some pretty bad things happening to me and it would hurt quite a lot but the clown doctors would totally take that away and make it fun.' 'There's no doubt in our minds that they had a massive impact on her physical healing by first nurturing her heart and emotions.' 'They would play with the equipment or have little things in their pockets that were really gross! They would tell me jokes and sing songs, even play the ukulele.' Doctor Fantastic, left, and Doctor Doctor would do anything in their power to lighten the mood . She said having the clowns around meant she looked forward to hospital visits as opposed to fearing them. After watching her daughter  emotionally connect with the clown doctors during such a challenging time in her life Ms Boyce said she was certain the doctors had a massive influence on Sophie's emotional well being. 'There were days where Sophie was having procedures to her hand and the clown doctor's were having difficultly distracting her so they would start finding medical instruments in the room to play sword fights or even throw water balloons on the roof.' 'There's no doubt in our minds that they had a massive impact on her physical healing by first nurturing her heart and emotions.' Ms Boyce said she found it challenging to describe exactly what the clown doctors did because it was more than just what they did, it was about how they made her daughter feel. 'Each day it was something different. There are times when she needed that big, bold slapstick comedy and there were others where they would sit quietly singing a song.' Sophie,left, was only three-years-old when she started coming to The Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital . The doctors were shocked by how quickly Sophie's hand healed and Ms Boyce attributed this to Sophie's overall happiness during her treatment. When a young child is forced spend a lot of time in hospital the experience can leave an emotional scar but Ms Boyce said, in Sophie's case, that couldn't be further from the truth with her experience really becoming 'a big part of who she is.' 'Sophie is very caring and community minded. She learnt that it's important to care for others and what kind of difference that can make in people's lives,' said Ms Boyce. Blue Steel: Sophie said having the clown doctors around made the experience less harrowing . She said Sophie became so involved with the clown doctors that she even started dressing up and joining in herself. 'It was kind of like I was one of them. You know when you're younger and you dress up as what you want to be when you're older? It was just like that.' 'They're my role models,' she added. Sophie said it can be hard for adults and parents to really understand what the clown doctors do but in her opinion 'they really do change lives.' Lou Pollard, who  goes by the name of Dr Quack, is one of sixty clown doctors prescribing doses of fun and laughter across 22 major hospitals in Australia. Long-time clown doctor Lou Pollard is more commonly known as Dr Quack around Sydney's child wards . She said being a clown doctor is all about 'making a connection' with children who may be going through 'the worst time of their lives.' 'International research has shown the physiological and psychological benefits that laughter brings to patients,' she said. 'It's our job to change the mood by having an open-hearted connection with kids who are often scared and really don't know what's going to happen.' 'If a kid is going to be in hospital, we want that child to go home having had the best experience they can possibly have' In what she calls 'diversional therapy', Ms Pollard and her collegues interject play, adventure and fun into an often bland and sterile hospital environment. 'You can take them on a playful journey and transform their room into a magical place.' 'If the doctor is putting a canular in the left arm, we will stand on the right and take them away from that medical procedure.' She said the added benefit is that it takes a lot of pressure off doctors who can do their job far more efficiently if their patient isn't distressed. 'If a kid is going to be in hospital, we want that child to go home having had the best experience they can possibly have,' Ms Pollard added. After spending years in the business Ms Pollard maintains humor therapy has 'measurable medical effects.' 'We've seen kids become very jaded and bitter about being in hospital and the pain they are going through and a lot of the time they are missing their friends and family back home. 'Bringing them back to a child like state where they can experience fun and joy really reminds them that they're still just little kids.' Some lucky Australian cricketers got the chance to see the good work the Clown Doctors are doing first hand after sending Steve Smith, Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon to Randwick Children's hospital to test out some of Ms Pollard's terrible dad jokes. Spreading the joy: Some of Australia's best cricketers joined Dr Quack at the Randwick Children's Hospital . Children aren't the only patients the clown doctors end up treating either. Ms Pollard said their presence also gives parents a chance to take a time out of what can be 'an extremely overwhelming situation.' 'Adults are often terrified and worried about what will happen to their kids. If you have an incredibly worried parent and the kids see that and start to wonder what are they keeping from me?' Ms Boyce said she was surprised by the relief she felt every time a Clown Doctor came to visit Sophie. 'When you're in the hospital you are absolutely focused your child. You are frightened and concerned for them and it can be really hard to be the strong one in such a stressful environment.' She said the clown doctors create a sense of calm which gives parents the rare opportunity to see their kid with a smile on their face. Relieved: Ms Boyce said she felt a sense of calm when the clown doctors came to visit Sophie . Sophie and Ms Boyce are so passionate about spreading joy in hospitals all over Australia they have spent a considerable amount of time advocating for the alternative medicine. 'The sort of medicine the clown doctors dispense is just as important as the medicine the hospital is dispensing,' said Ms Boyce. 'As long as there are kids in hospitals, clown doctors need to be in hospitals.' While clown doctors are working in every major children's hospital across the country, they don't always get  to spend as much time there as they would like. Ms Pollard said clown doctors spend three or four days of the week in some major hospitals but some others are lucky to get one day of comedic relief a week. 'The only complaint we hear is why aren't you around more often?' said Ms Pollard. Laughter is the best medicine: Ms Pollard says clown doctors need to be in hospitals full time . The Clown Doctors are a not-for-profit organisation and receive no government or hospital funding so donations are vital to their continued existence. Ms Pollard said she was thrilled to see CommBank come on board to try and get clown doctors into more wards across Australia. Preying on societies obsession with selfies Comm bank have pledged to donate $5 to the Clown Doctors for every silly selfie posted on Instagram or Twitter before April 2 as long as it has the hashtag #ClowningForKids. They are aiming to raise a massive $200,000 to further fund the clown doctor operation. The hastag has already gained momentum with strangers from all over Australia posting pictures of themselves clowning around. Australian cricket great Michael Clarke got involved with this selfie earning the Clown Doctors five dollars . After spending years in the industry Ms Pollard said she goes to work every day knowing her job is a 'privilege.' 'You can’t change what has happened to them but you can change the way they looked at the world that day.’ Donations to the Clown Doctors can also be made at any CommBank branch until the end of March or online at commbank.com.au/clowndoctors. Alternatively hop online and post a snap of yourself with the hashtag #ClowningForKids before April 2.
When Sophie Boyce was three years old she badly burnt her hand . The injury meant she spent years going in and out of hospital . Sophie says hospital was fun because she was treated by Clown Doctors . Sophie and her mother are now ambassadors for the program . There are only 60 clown doctors working in 22 hospitals across Australia . Clown Doctors is a not-for-profit organisation and receive no funding . CommBank is trying to raise $200,000 to help fund more clown doctors .