Fisher House Reopens, Helps Families

Fisher House Reopens, Helps Families

Fort Gordon Signal

By Charmain Z. Brackett

03.04.11

It wasn’t just a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 4 for Col. Darryl Reyes.

“Fisher Houses represent a beacon of hope and strength. It helps families who struggle in troubled times,” said Reyes, site commander for the National Security Agency/Central Security Service Georgia and the 709th Military Intelligence Brigade, who spoke at the grand reopening ceremony of the Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center Fisher House.

Reyes would know. His family experienced firsthand the love, care and commitment of a Fisher House when his mother faced cancer and died from the disease 17 years ago.

Reyes said the Walter Reed Fisher House provided a ray of hope to his family, and he has volunteered at Fisher Houses since then.

The March 4 ceremony was a long awaited one for DDEAMC Fisher House supporters mainly because of the commitment of house manager Francisco Cruz Jr. and his team of faithful volunteers.

“ This was scheduled about five years ago, but I kept pushing him (Cruz) off. He did such a great job of taking care of this place. It looked brand new,” said Dan Hersrud, program manager for Army Fisher Houses, at the grand reopening ceremony.

Brig. Gen. Bryan Gamble, commander of the DDEAMC and deputy commander of Southern Regional Medical Command and Readiness, said the project cost about $400,000.

Constructed in 1993 as one of the first Fisher Houses Army-wide, the home was closed for about three months as it received a top- tobottom overhaul. New paint, wall-coverings, furnishings, carpeting and bedding were among the upgrades. The kitchen and bathrooms were also updated to allow for more access for those in wheelchairs in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

There have been many changes in the Fisher House program since its inception in 1990. The first homes were constructed not thinking that patients might be staying there, according to Jim Weiskopf of the Fisher House Foundation.

“The family would stay in the house because the patient was in the hospital. Now many inpatient procedures are done on an outpatient basis,” he said.

The size of the homes has grown, and they aren’t just on military bases. There are 53 homes – some of which are on Department of Veterans Affairs properties. Also, Weiskopf said the first Fisher House at a Marine Corps base was opened at Camp LeJeune, N.C., on March 3, the day before his visit to Fort Gordon.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, supporters had the opportunity to tour the Fisher House, which still smelled of new paint. There was a second ceremony to thank the many organizations and individuals who have donated to the Fisher House and its families.