Bunny Boy and Me: A True Story About Chronic Pain and Unconditional Love
/By Pat Anson, PNN Editor
When most people think of therapy and support animals, a dog or cat immediately come to mind. But after years of struggle with chronic pain from lupus and fibromyalgia, Nancy Laracy needed a different kind of animal.
“Our family had been through so much that I felt we all needed a family pet other than our lizard. And because my husband was allergic to dogs and cats, we settled on a rabbit,” Nancy explained.
She adopted a baby red satin rabbit, a breed known for its calmness and sociability. “Bunny Boy” quickly became part of the Laracy family and would have a profound effect on Nancy’s life. She wound up writing a book about her furry friend, “Bunny Boy and Me: My Triumph over Chronic Pain with the Help of the World’s Unluckiest, Luckiest Rabbit.”
“Little did I know that Bunny Boy would become my third child in so many ways and that he would be the perfect therapy for my pain,” Nancy told PNN.
“I had tried acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic, mainstream medicine, slept on a magnetic mattress — just about anything. But it was Bunny Boy who took me away from my pain as he slept with me, snuggled with me, and grew to know when I needed him the most. When I had his warm body on mine, I could feel the muscle pain lessen and of course the stress as well.”
Nancy started taking Bunny Boy to her doctors’ appointments, where he had a similar effect on other patients.
“I would see the positive reaction of the patients in pain, sitting in the lobby while we were there. If only for a short time, Bunny Boy would run around, jump on their laps when they allowed him to, knock the magazines all over, and make the patients laugh and smile,” she said.
In a cruel irony, Bunny Boy got sick and was diagnosed with a similar autoimmune disease, and needed multiple surgeries for a severe jaw abscess. Most rabbits don’t respond well to painful invasive medical procedures, but Bunny Boy was a plucky hare with a strong will to live.
“I provided that same comfort to Bunny Boy as he underwent numerous surgeries and treatments that normal rabbits don’t survive, but he survived due to the strength and love he received from me and my family,” Nancy said.
“The vets who cared for him eventually called him ‘Iron Bunny’ and said to me over and over again that he was only surviving so many things due to our bond which formed in sickness and in health.”
Bunny Boy not only survived, he helped pioneer a new medical treatment that Nancy credits with saving her life, which she discusses in her book.
Bunny Boy lived a long life for a rabbit – nine years – and Nancy went on to adopt a new rabbit that she named Muffin, who also became a therapy animal.
“I started first by visiting nursing homes to see if she had the right temperament. Not only did I visit the patients in their rooms, but they wanted me to visit the patients in physical therapy and it was amazing how Muffin could help the patients increase their physical therapy programs, simply by sitting on their laps during some of their exercises,” Nancy said.
“For arthritis and fibro patients it is important to keep moving at some level and having pets helps us do that. For me a bunny was perfect because I believe it would have been too difficult for me to walk a dog that dragged me or walk a dog regularly period. A bunny is litter trained, doesn’t have to be walked, and they are equally as endearing and social as a dog or cat.”
Bunny Boy and Me is featured in PNN’s Suggested Reading section, along with other informative books on chronic pain and pain management. Nancy is donating all proceeds from her book to charity.
