Woman seeks to give new life to old dolls

CAMBRIDGE, Wis. — A look inside Lori Carrington’s home might make you think you’ve stepped into a real-life dollhouse. She has hundreds of them, all living in symbiosis with her five cats.

But behind every ringlet curl or glassy eye is a promise, made years ago to a little girl who spent most of her time in a hospital bed.

Carrington was born with a cleft lip and palate. Between her birth and age 18, she had 30 surgeries.

“It was rough, painful,” Carrington said. “I almost didn’t make it about 3 times.”

Before and after each surgery, her parents would give her dolls, a reminder that she wasn’t alone.

“What it really meant was that oh, my mom and dad are coming back,” she said. “I knew every day I was going to get a doll because they were coming back.”

Now, far removed from her last surgery, Carrington is downsizing. While every doll has a story for her, she says she’d like to add more chapters, passing the dolls along to new, loving homes.

“I would rather give them to someone that would appreciate them and actually love them like I love them,” she said.

So, she’s reaching out to the community: If you’re interested in giving her dolls a new home, you can reach her at (608)-628-6968.

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