Easter Bunny brightens children's holiday at Central DuPage Hospital

When 5-year-old Emmi Wade took a fall on Saturday and suffered a concussion, she thought her trip to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield would mean a pretty unhappy Easter. But that changed when the Easter Bunny hopped its way to the hospital's pediatric ward Sunday.

"How did he know where I was?" said Emmi, astounded after the visit.

Little did she know that the Easter Bunny is a pretty resourceful creature. Escorted by representatives of the DuPage County Sheriff's Department, the bunny visited Central DuPage patients and brought them cheer as they spent the holiday in a hospital bed.

Emmi's mother, Hanover Park resident Brenda Wade, said the visit helped her daughter make it through a rough day.

"It was wonderful," she said. "It made our Easter much happier. We were worried about what was going to happen."

As she sat in her mother's lap, Emmi stroked the stuffed pink bunny - incidentally, her favorite color - given to her by one of the Easter Bunny's escorts.

The escort was Jennifer Pascoe, a junior corporal with the DuPage County Explorers. The Explorers is a junior program through the sheriff's department that trains people ages 14 to 21 who are interested in pursuing a law enforcement career.

"It's a chance to do something good for the community," said DuPage County Sheriff's Department Col. Pete Sterenberg. "It's a good feeling."

Sterenberg said it was the fifth year the Explorers helped the Easter Bunny find the hospital.

The bunny also surprised 10-year-old Samantha McGhee, who underwent surgery to remove her appendix over the weekend.

"It's just great for them to be taking time out of their holiday to be here," said Samantha's mother, Mary McGhee of Columbus, Ohio. "She's going to have something to remember this Easter by."