Video: Mayo docs perform on 'Ellen'
An impromptu performance after a 28-hour shift landed two Mayo Clinic doctors an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Tuesday.
Orthopedic surgery residents Elvis Francois and William Robinson sat down with Ellen to discuss their inspiration for their now-viral video recorded right here at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
"Elvis and I have been friends for a long time," Robinson told Ellen. "We recently found out we had a shared passion is music. And we have also been realizing more and more that music and some of the intangibles play just as much a part of the healing — in the spiritual, emotional healing — as does the drugs and surgery and everything else."
To the delight of the show's host, one of the therapies most commonly requested at Mayo is a dose of Ellen. Robinson and Francois told Ellen they frequently go to check on patients post-surgery, only to find them more interested in learning what time her show will be on.
"They say laughter is the best medicine, so all of us working together is really good ... You fix 'em up, and then I finish them off," Ellen joked.
"I am honored that the Mayo Clinic has my show on," she added.
Ellen also delivered a special message for 9-year-old Lila, a Mayo Clinic patient battling leukemia. Robinson and Francois recently performed for Lila and learned she was a pretty big Ellen fan.
"Lila, I'm sending you love and I'm sending you strength, and I want you to keep smiling and keep laughing and fill yourself with joy," Ellen said, looking into the camera. "I want you to get better and come see me at the show. So that's your goal, to get better so I can meet you Lila."
The duo capped off the appearance on Ellen with a spectacular rendition of "Alright" — the same song featured in the original video. Before they left the stage, Ellen presented them with a pair of medical coats inscribed with a special message: "An Ellen A Day Keeps The Doctor Away."
You can watch the full clip below.
Cover photo courtesy The Ellen DeGeneres Show
