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Wounded troops, families to get new hope and aid

My San Antonio
By Scott Huddleston, Express-News Staff Writer
10.26.06

Terrie Johnson passes the Center for the Intrepid, now near completion, and sees hope.

Her son, 19, had both legs amputated after being wounded in April in Kirkuk, Iraq. But one thing working in her favor has been having a place to stay, at the Fisher House at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Her son may be one of the first people to use the $37 million Intrepid Center, a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility, set to open in three months.

"I cannot begin to tell you what the Fisher (House) Foundation has done for me," said Johnson, of Rome, N.Y.

On Thursday, key figures in the new 65,000-square-foot center and two new Fisher Houses under construction got a hardhat tour, followed by a midday tea.

Audrey Fisher phoned her husband, Arnold Fisher, honorary chairman of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

"I'm on the fourth floor of your building," she told him, speaking on her cell phone from the center's top floor.

Mrs. Fisher described it as an "amazing building," with space for water therapy, a virtual reality simulator, workshops for prosthetic production and alteration, and a gym, running track and children's counseling area.

"It's more than you could ever imagine," she said she told him.

She also is a board member of the Fisher House Foundation, which raised nearly $6 million for two new Fisher Houses that will double space for family members of wounded troops, from 42 rooms to 84 rooms.

BAMC has treated more than 2,500 injured troops since 9-11. The new facilities, which will help the wounded recover with at least one family member nearby, are being funded through private donations.

Inge Godfrey, Fisher House manager at BAMC, said the two existing houses are full, with a waiting list of 40 people. She needs volunteers for the new houses, to answer phones, assist with special events and help care for the families. No special skills are needed.

To volunteer, call the Fisher House at (210) 916-6000, ext. 1.

Martha Vanwey of Ferris, near Dallas, has been at a guest house at BAMC since her son, 21, was burned over 70 percent of his body in Iraq. Since her limit on free post housing will soon expire, she's on a waiting list to get in the Fisher House, to avoid a daily charge of $48.

She said her son needs her to change bandages, apply medication and give encouragement.

"His fingers were burned off, so he uses his little pinky to change (television channels on) the remote control," she said.

When her son, 24, was burned over 86 percent of his body in Iraq in June, Luz Agudelo, left her home in Colombia. The Fisher House has been a second home for her, her daughter-in-law, her two younger children and two grandchildren.

"Others here help with the kids," she said. "We're like a family."

Junior Morgan of Alexander City, Ala., arrived last month after his son got sick in Iraq. Doctors don't know if his son will survive surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen. But the camaraderie of the Fisher House helps him cope, he said.

"This place is awesome," he said. "I'll be making a donation to it every year from now on."

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