Haley Comfort's

Everyone please meet The Larrison Family! They are the 2021 Fireplace Giveaway Winners! Check out this great video that captures their story and the beautiful fireplace transformation. The Holiday season is a time of year that we all try to remember to count our blessings and be thankful for the family and friends that surround us. At Haley’s we have started a tradition of spreading holiday cheer to a family in the area who deserves a random act of kindness.

Laura’s co-worker and good friend, Joy, was the person who nominated Laura for the fireplace giveaway. Her nomination letter can be read below:

“I have lived over 45 years and NEVER ever nominated someone for something like this! But I can’t even believe how perfect my co-worker and friend Laura Larrison (& her family) are for this contest! Laura is one of the kindest, most fun and caring nurse co-workers I have ever had. At work she is the leader of our Unit’s “Fun Committee” helping to organize everything from holiday parties to autumn leaf-peeping caravans to Christmas donations for needy families to celebrations for special events in so many people’s lives here at work. Outside of work Laura is an amazing wife and mother to two children, Beverly and Barrington. Barrington was born with a rare condition (Arthrogryposis Multiplex Condition – AMC) and had multiple joint contractures at birth. They didn’t know if he would live past birth – but not only has he lived but he has THRIVED, thanks in large part to Laura’s tenacity as a mother and caregiver, and the unconditional love of their entire family. Barrington (we all call him Bear) has had dozens of surgeries in his short life, been in multiple casts and braces, and now as a preschooler has learned to power himself in his manual wheelchair! This if after literally HUNDREDS of appointments with therapists and doctors – all while his dad and his mom Laura, a Registered Nurse working on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit -continued long hours working through the pandemic. Seeing their family together is an ABSOLUTE LIGHT that you cannot help but be warmed by. I can’t WAIT for more people to meet this family.

So why is this contest PERFECT for the Larrison family? Just last week, after much searching, they closed on their (new to them) home. As you may know, “upgrading” a home when you have a special needs child is rarely about luxury. It is about finding adequate space on one level, with easy wheelchair access to the property, and safety features needed as a special needs child grows older. Before Laura and her family can move into the house, they need to pull up carpet (nemesis of wheelchairs!), put in ramps and install gates. They are working on this now with hopes to move in in the coming weeks. The main family space in their new house is anchored by a lovely (but outdated – see photo) fireplace. Getting this upgraded is definitely on the list of “someday” for them, as they first work to make the house functional for all members. It would be great if we could do it for them sooner, especially since the house is not moved into quite yet.

I know that there are many deserving families in Rochester (and surrounding areas) but this would be the perfect gift at the perfect time for one of the most delightful families I have ever known.”