My Happy Haven awards first Mankato bedroom makeover

Edie Schmierbach, The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·2 min read

Oct. 4—MANKATO — The city's first My Happy Haven-Mankato recipient managed to squeeze in a phone interview between her chemo session and trip up North with friends.

"I was sure shocked," said Cheryl Hutchens, a homeowner being treated to a room remodel, courtesy of several local businesses specializing in home décor.

Efforts were coordinated by the new local affiliate of My Happy Haven, a non-profit that focuses on providing cozy spaces for women undergoing treatment for cancer.

Hutchens knows very few details about the bedroom transformation taking place in her Hilltop rambler while she is away for the weekend. She did let organizers know of her preference for traditional furniture and the color, aqua.

"That's my cancer color," she said, referring to the blue-green hue used for ribbons that designate ovarian cancer survivors at awareness events.

Sunday, Hutchens returned home from her stay at a lakeside cabin to a newly-remodeled bedroom and a bit of fanfare.

"It will be a big surprise for both of us," said Crystal Simondet, who was scheduled to be at her mother's side for the "big reveal."

Simondet nominated Hutchens as a My Happy Haven honoree after hearing of a similar remodel project the non-profit's Iowa-based parent group gifted to a North Mankato woman in June.

"My mom is a very giving person who's always helping people. She has done so much for others; I got to do something for her."

Simondet spent Thursday evening helping clear out the bedroom in preparation for the project. Cancer treatments left Hutchens without the strength to do the heavy lifting herself.

The family is close-knit. Simondet, 39, along with her husband and four children, live within walking distance of Hutchens.

Rooms and Rest is providing furniture to replace the two dressers and a wooden headboard that have been passed along to Hutchens' grandchildren to use in their bedrooms.

Bellissimo Paint applied two gallons of paint donated by Diamond Vogel to walls in Hutchens' bedroom.

"A fresh coat of paint can lift the spirit and make the room feel nice and relaxing," said co-owner Jennifer Ek. "We sent a crew up there this morning (Friday). They worked about two hours."

Donating labor is a way for the company to give back to its community, Ek said.

"We feel this is a really good way to do that."

Other local business contributors include Circle Inn, Timeless Interiors, Blinds & More, Difference Makers-Realty Executives and Inspired Portraits.