FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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Ken Fisher is a man on a mission.

The Manhattan real estate developer has put his heart and soul into carrying on the legacy of his late uncle, Zachary Fisher, who created the very first Fisher House for families of wounded troops back in 1991.

The concept was simple: build a place for the families of wounded troops to stay nearby the military medical facility while they recover.

The first facility was opened at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. More than 20 years later, there are 54 Fisher Houses across the nation, plus one at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany; several more on the way.

"The program has just caught fire," Fisher said. "People have been phenomenal to us."

Fisher rattles off several more cities where the Fisher House Foundation plans to build: Minneapolis; Augusta, Ga.; Salt Lake City; Nashville; Pittsburgh.

"The main thing is to keep building houses wherever they're needed," he said. "I don't care if you have war fatigue. I don't care what your politics are. [Veterans] are entitled to the best this nation has to offer."

Courtesy of the Fisher House Foundation

There are 155 medical facilities in the Department of Veterans Affairs system, he points out. The foundation hopes to have a Fisher House at each and every one of them.

Only 101 more to go.

The weak economy hasn't slowed things down, either, he said. All Fisher Houses are built through donations to the Fisher House Foundation, then handed over to the government to run and maintain.

"We've been fortunate in the level of sophistication of the donors. People aren't just giving blindly anymore. They want to yield results." With Fisher Houses, he said, "You can see where your money has gone. It's nice to see that. You can say, 'You know what? I donated to that.'"

"Just saying thanks for your service isn't enough, in my mind," he said. "You see a soldier or a sailor or Marine, airman or whatever, you go up to them and say thank you. That's nice. We feel that's just not enough anymore."

"Military families serve this nation, too," Fisher said.

The Eakinses of San Antonio, Texas, are one of those military families. Kelly Eakins' 28-year-old son, Steven, is the fourth generation in her family to serve in the military. A senior airman in the Air Force communications squadron, Steven was preparing to deploy overseas last year when he was badly injured in a car accident at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas.

Steven, whose wife is also active-duty Air Force, has a severe traumatic brain injury and is being treated at the James A. Haley V.A. Hospital in Tampa, Fla. The couple has two children, ages 1 and 4.

Steven's mother, Kelly was able to leave her job in Texas and be with her son around the clock in Florida -- thanks to the Fisher House next door.

With 21 suites, the facility is at 100 percent occupancy every night.

"There is no way to express how helpful it is," Kelly said. "All your focus is on making them better. There are varying degrees of injury and recovery here. It's amazing to see the veterans reach out to each other."

Steven is still unable to speak or communicate, but Kelly hopes to be able to bring him back home to Texas someday soon.

Ken Fisher thinks saying thank you is no longer enough. And the Eikens and the tens of thousands of other military families who have stayed at Fisher Houses across the country agree.

"I don't even know how to say thanks," Kelly Eiken said. "There's just no way to express how helpful it's been to be here."

To learn more about the Fisher House Foundation, visit fisherhouse.org. To find a Fisher House near you, visit a map of their current locations in the United States.

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