See how Fischer House Foundation and United Health Foundation have teamed up to provide military and veterans’ families with a place to stay at Camp Pendleton, at no cost, while a loved one is receiving treatment nearby.
A family’s love is good medicine. Whether it is a parent’s touch to soothe a sick child, or siblings playing together even when one of them is sick or injured, a family has the ability to help each other feel better, no matter the situation. For this reason, Fisher House Foundation believes strongly that families should be near their loved ones while they receive care at a local military hospital.
Fisher House provides a community and a home away from home, but more importantly, “a place for healing,” says Sala Nick, a former guest of Fisher House Camp Pendleton. Sala and Samuel Nick II, along with their daughter Epiphany and son Samuel III, spent four months at Fisher House Camp Pendleton after Samuel III fell from a two-story building and broke his back. Following surgery, Samuel III required additional follow-up appointments at the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital.
“Our hospital case manager referred us to Fisher House, and I just couldn’t believe that we could stay there for free while Samuel was in the hospital,” says Sala. “Every day I am grateful for our time we had at Fisher House.”
“In my 24 years in the Navy I’ve helped sailors through almost any situation imaginable, and I’d never heard of the Fisher House,” says Samuel II. “Fisher House is like one of those best kept secrets; I don’t know how we would have gotten through this experience if it were not for them.”
Fisher Houses are located at major military and VA medical centers across the country, and are open to any military family with a loved one receiving care at a nearby hospital. Since the program began, Fisher Houses have saved military and veterans’ families an estimated $360 million in lodging and transportation costs. Additionally:
- On any given day, more than 970 families can be staying in a Fisher House;
- More than 305,000 families have been served since 1990;
- Over 7 million days of lodging have been provided; and
- More than 28,000 families were served in 2016.
“The lesson I learned from my experience at the Fisher House is to always remember to give wholeheartedly, to put others first and always be grateful for everything that you have,” says Sala.
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