Hippity Hop, the Easter Bunny got a blood clot

BY Dawn Rankins

(Friday Flyer reporter Dawn Rankins‘ husband John Foster dawned the Easter Bunny outfit Saturday despite being a bit under the weather. Here is Dawn’s report on how the day went.)

The Easter Bunny woke up Saturday morning not feeling well, but he didn’t want to disappoint the kiddos of Canyon Lake, so he hopped on over to the Easter Carnival at Holiday Harbor and spent the morning and early afternoon hopping around and hanging with the kids and their families.

Easter Bunny took a few breaks here and there and it was on those breaks that his handlers noticed his right leg was starting to really swell up. He told handler Renee Griffiths that he would just “hop it off,” and he kept on enjoying the laughter of the kiddos, high fiving the bigger kids and enjoying seeing the little ones smile.

Easter Bunny John Foster hams it up with Canyon Lake POA Treasurer Renee Griffiths at the Canyon Lake Family Matters Club Easter Egg Hunt and Carnival Saturday. John, despite what would later be diagnosed as a blood clot in his leg, gutted it out before being convinced to head to the Emergency Room and surgery. Photo by Dawn Rankins.

At the end of the carnival, Easter Bunny went to his den and noticed the pain in his leg getting a lot worse. Renee told him that he needed to be seen by the bunny doctor, but Easter Bunny wasn’t convinced.

Shawna Bowen, one of the Carnival organizers, stopped by the bunny den a few minutes later to thank Bunny for coming out and making the children so happy, saw Bunny’s leg and without a word, went and found retired ER nurse, Kathy Wood.

Kathy, while being a human nurse, knew that Easter Bunny was in need of some serious medical care, and told Bunny he needed to go straight to the bunny ER.

Stubborn Bunny still wasn’t having it. However, when Renee, Kathy, Shawna and now, Jeannie Hoonnirun all got a little stern with Easter Bunny, he finally relinquished and agreed to be seen by his doctor.

And, as it turned out, it was a good thing he did.

Once in the ER, Bunny was told he had a blood clot in his right leg. After visiting with his doctor, Easter Bunny was told that he would have to stay in the hospital and have surgery.

Bunny told the doctors and nurses he couldn’t stay. The next day was Easter and he needed to make sure all the kiddos had their baskets. But, obviously, he had no choice. Blood clots can be fatal. Thank goodness the children weren’t disappointed. The Easter Bunny had his back up already trained to handle passing out baskets in the event he couldn’t do it.

He underwent surgery to remove the blood clot, however, the surgeon was not able to remove it all, so Bunny remains in the hospital, is resting and is doing everything the doctors and nurses are telling him to do.

Bunny tells all his nurses and doctors how special he felt knowing that so many Canyon Lakers cared enough about him by insisting he go see a doctor.

Easter Bunny wanted to let Renee Griffiths, Shawna Bowen, Jeannie Hoonnirun and Kathy Wood know he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for these ladies not only watching over him closely at the Carnival, but insisting he be seen.

Bunny said the name of their club, Family Matters, is fitting, as Family Matters really went above and beyond to make the day special for Canyon Lakers and their friends and families. They touched the hearts of Bunny and his family by caring enough to recognize that he was in serious condition and it was them who saved his life.