Fisher House Provides “Home Away From Home” For Families Of Hospitalized Veterans And Service Members

“There’s very little commonality between families of those who serve and the families of civilians. They’re the only ones that can understand what they’re going through.”

In May of 2019, Pat Sherrod-Elliott’s 32-year-old son, Sean Victor, started showing troubling neurological symptoms.

The otherwise-healthy marine corps sergeant underwent extensive testing to determine the cause of his deterioration. After a few trips to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Victor was admitted to Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, the closest military hospital to the family’s homes in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Victor was ultimately diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare genetic condition that damages the myelin sheath, the membrane that protects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. He died on April 12, 2021 at 34 years old.

Sherrod-Elliott refers to that two-year period as one of the worst times of her life—one she says was made more bearable by Fisher House Foundation. She stayed at the foundation’s Charleston house free of charge for three months while her son was at Ralph H. Johnson, saving her from having to drive 150 miles to and from Beaufort each day.

“It was just a blessing,” says Sherrod-Elliott. “Not to have to travel back and forth. Not having the expense of a hotel or gas. I could be there to be with my son during his time of need.”

Fisher House Foundation is a charity that builds homes where the families of service members and veterans can stay for free while a loved one is in the hospital. These comfort homes are located at 95 military and VA medical centers around the world, with five more scheduled to be completed within the next two years.

The Fisher House in Charleston is located downtown, just a few blocks away from the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. The 15,000-square-foot, three-story mansion boasts 16 suites and countless amenities.

“It’s actually more like a luxury hotel. “Not like a house at all,” Sherrod-Elliott says. “There’s a double kitchen, a family room, library, laundry room, patio, garden… Looking at it, you would never know what it is.”

Fisher House Foundation was founded in 1990 by New York City philanthropist and real estate tycoon Zachary Fisher, after he learned that military families had nowhere to stay while their loved ones were hospitalized. He quickly got to work rectifying the situation, and the first Fisher House opened in Bethesda in 1991.

Kenneth Fisher took over as CEO and chairman of Fisher House Foundation in 2001. He says he feels “privileged” to continue the great work his great uncle started more than three decades ago, and for the opportunity to interact with so many incredible people.

“The concept was to honor the service and sacrifice not only of those who wear the uniform, but their families as well. We wanted them to feel special,” Fisher explains. “What we weren’t prepared for was the support systems that spring up in each house.”

“Each house became its own community,” he continues. “There’s very little commonality between families of those who serve and the families of civilians. They’re the only ones that can understand what they’re going through. [Fisher Houses] are an extension of a community that had already formed.”

Fisher says it’s not uncommon for families staying at a Fisher House to cook and even sit down to dinner together.

“At a hotel, once you close the door that’s the end of your interactions with the outside world,” he says. “Here, you can walk downstairs and cook together, eat together, sit together. One night a family might have to run to the hospital and the other families will make sure their dinner is saved and their laundry is folded. They quickly learn they are not alone.”

Sherrod-Elliott experienced one of those tight knit support systems herself.

“When you’re going through a life-threatening situation, you naturally form a bond with others in the house,” she explains. “You become family. You support each other. I’ve actually stayed in touch with a lot of them.”

Each Fisher House is staffed by a full-time manager and volunteers. Sherrod-Elliott says they’re “essential to making it the place that it is.”

“When we’re going through one of the worst times of our lives, in order to make it, you have to have people around you who care. Gives us peace of mind… makes it a home away from home,” she says. “When you’re worried about your family member, you want them to get the best care hospital, but you also need to make sure that you’re in a safe place.”

To date, Fisher House has served almost 455,000 families, providing them 11.5 million aggregate days of lodging, and saving them $547 million. 1,300 families sleep at a Fisher House each night.

Looking forward, Fisher says he is most troubled by veteran suicides and the stigma of having PTSD that keeps so many people from coming forward and seeking treatment. He wants to see public officials keep their promises to provide service members with life-saving tools.

“We need to hold public officials accountable, and not just on Election Day,” he says. “Every day should be Memorial Day, in that we never forget. Every day should be Veteran’s Day, and we need to make sure that they’re taken care of when they come home.”

Visit fisherhouse.org to learn more, donate, and volunteer. 

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