Anthony Anderson Surprises Brooklyn Health Care Worker and Family with Trip to Los Angeles As Homage to Their COVID-19 Sacrifices
by Daryl NelsonAs a way to say thank you, Anthony Anderson gave a Brooklyn, New York, medical worker and his family a gift of to the set of ‘Black-ish’ for all they’re doing to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Nick Harrison is a triple threat on the pandemic’s front lines. He’s a registered nurse at New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, as well as a paramedic there. He also provides barber services for his co-workers, who are unable to get a haircut at a shop or salon since they’re all closed in New York City.
Nick isn’t the only person in his family who’s battling the virus as a medical worker. His wife Bianca is a nurse and son Isaiah is an EMT.
New York City has been one of the hardest-hit places in the U.S. for COVID-19, as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene says there were 193,951 cases as of Friday, May 22. There have also been 16,333 COVID-19 deaths in New York City.
Anthony joined a “Good Morning America” segment that shows celebrities paying health care workers virtual visits to thank them for their services. The Harrison family had no idea the actor was going to be speaking with them.
“Hey Nick, can you do something about this gray that I got right here,” Anderson told Harrison as he appeared on screen. “I just want to thank you for doing what you do. I want to commend your family and your wife as well. I hear your wife is a surgical nurse. Your 20-year-old is an EMT driver.”
“Once this is all over, and it’s safe to travel, let’s coordinate and bring the Harrison family to Los Angeles, so they can come hang out on the set of ‘Black-ish’ with me,” he added. “That’s my gift to you Nick and your family for doing what you’re doing. Come hang out for a day or two and we can have some fun.”
The family responded joyfully to the news, and Harrison said he’d cut the sitcom star’s hair with no problem.
“I would make sure I get you nice and ’Black-ish’ the way you supposed to be,” he told him.
The registered nurse, paramedic, and barber cuts his co-workers hair on his lunch break, after work, before work, and on his days off. He explained what motivates him to do it and how he feels afterward.
“People are contributing everything,” Nick Harrison said during the segment. “You bring what you can. … So I said my contribution could be anybody that needs a haircut come on down.”
“The smiles and the joy and even that somebody could look in the mirror or go home and say, ‘Hey, I look good’ or maybe their husband or their wife can say, ‘Hey, baby, you look great,'” he added. “It makes me feel good knowing that I make people feel good.”