Because A Family’s Love Is Good Medicine – this is the motto of the Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher House Foundation, established in 1993. A Fisher House is “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Centers.
I can describe first-hand the truth and power of that statement. As a single mother of four, teaching full time, my precious little family was thrust into multiple major medical crises that began in 2006. Not long after I had experienced two major surgeries, my oldest, John Patrick, decided to follow a dream to become a United States Marine. He had recently graduated from high school, and this was a huge deal to me as well as to my younger three children – the five of us have always been extremely close. It meant the four of us were there for his swearing-in ceremony, boot camp graduation, and School of Infantry graduation. His dream was a reality!
However, his dreams were derailed when he injured his knee in training, which required two major surgeries – one of which was a meniscus transplant surgery. It was during this time that I noticed he was rapidly losing a substantial amount of weight and had some worrying symptoms: hand tremors, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, nervousness, and sensitivity to heat. After numerous visits to medical officers, we finally learned that he had Graves’ disease and also thyroid cancer, at the age of 21. There were some gaps in getting the proper diagnosis and care, and he was not in good shape.
Having gone through savings in order to travel to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to be there for two knee surgeries, at this point I asked his battalion Family Readiness Officer if there might be any assistance available. A Fisher House had just been built at Camp Lejeune – this was the first Fisher House on a Marine Corps installation.
I had never heard of a Fisher House. Little did I know what a blessing it would be!
A few things I haven’t mentioned: During this ordeal, my younger high school-age son was going through multiple surgeries and wound care for a cyst on the base of his spine; also, my youngest daughter Mary, then age 10, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Even though I am a fighter (I raised a Marine!) with a positive mindset, my head was reeling. You can imagine the full-time job I had raising kids as a single parent, working full time, plus managing multiple medical crises.
Staying at the Fisher House alleviated so many burdens. I was there for my son. I had one less financial worry. I was on the grounds of the Naval Hospital. My son did not have to worry about where I was staying while he was hospitalized. Upon his discharge from the hospital, he and I had a place to stay until he was able to come back to Orlando for convalescent leave.
A place that provided a feeling of comfort – like home.
It’s hard to put into words what it was like to feel cared for, even just being able to sleep well, which doesn’t happen often in the middle of a medical crisis, but it did at the Fisher House! I didn’t have to worry about anything, except taking care of him.
You can imagine the impact on the healing process for my son, as well as the amount of stress that was relieved for our entire family! The Fisher House was a reprieve during an overwhelming time.
About the Orlando Fisher House
The Fisher House Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that ensures lodging is provided at no cost. Since 1990, the Fisher House Foundation has:
- Served more than 305,000 families
- Provided more than 7 million nights of lodging
- Saved military and veteran families more than $360 million in lodging and transportation costs
Today, there are 71 Fisher Houses across the U.S. – 40 are located on military installations, and 31 are located at VA medical centers. There also are more currently being built and planned!
Families like ours stay at the Fisher House for a variety of reasons: a patient might be receiving care for a major medical issue, have been in a car accident, wounded in combat, injured in a training accident, a mother and premature baby, or need surgery of physical rehabilitation.
There is no time limit on how long a family can stay – a family is welcome to stay as long as their patient is receiving care.
Fisher Houses are given to the U.S. government as gifts. Here in Orlando, the land was donated to the Fisher House Foundation. Upon completion, the Orlando Fisher House will then be gifted to the VA, which will be responsible for the operation and maintenance.
We are incredibly fortunate to have a Fisher House here to serve the 110,000+ veterans in the Central Florida area. Please learn more about the Orlando Fisher House, spread awareness, help us raise money to support the ongoing needs of the house, and please – volunteer!
