FISHER HOUSE - HELPING MILITARY FAMILIES

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Army Sgt. Catlin Mixson is a hero.

In 2007, Mixson, 24, was in Baghdad working in Operation Iraqi Freedom when his Humvee was attacked by a roadside bomb. This attack cost his fellow soldiers their lives and Mixson his legs.

“When my brother was brought back to the States after being severely injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom, his survival and health were the only things my family and I could focus on,” Alicia Mixson, 29, Catlin Mixson’s sister said.

Sgt. Mixson was taken to a military hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Due to doctor’s recommendations, Alicia flew to San Antonio to be close to him.

During his rehabilitation, Alicia Mixson stayed at a Fisher House in San Antonio.

“Our heads were spinning; it was all we could do to take care of our own basic needs,” Alicia said. “ The Fisher House understood and was right there for us. We didn’t have to deal with finding hotels nearby or how we would fund such an expense. We were able to stay right by the hospital and come and go as we needed. It was a much needed simplification in our difficult times.” 

The facility will feature:

• A “ home away from home” with 20 all-accessible suites, communal kitchen, laundry facilities, living area, study area, outdoor garden and playground areas.

• It will host over 10,000 guests each year.

• A location on the VA property, near the medical center

The Gainesville Fisher House, being built by generous donations, will offer service members and their families a comfortable living environment during treatment for war-related medical crisis.

“In most cases, these men and women are being treated far from home, and sometimes their family members have to sleep in their cars because they don’t have a place to stay or cannot afford to stay at a hotel,” Patti Fabini, executive director of The Gainesville Fisher House, said. “Instead of worrying about getting better, they are worrying about where their loved ones are going to sleep, and this, of course, affects their rehabilitation. We are here to change that.”
The Gainesville Fisher House will provide a refuge to veterans and their families of the North Florida and South Georgia region while they are receiving treatment.

“Gainesville is in the biggest need of a Fisher House in the state of Florida,” Fabiani said. “ The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center is one of the top five busiest centers in the country drawing from 50 counties in north Florida and Southern Georgia.”

Construction for The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center Fisher House will start in the fall of 2011. So that families can be as close to their loved ones as possible, the house will be built on the VA property.

“So far we have raised $1.6 million in our efforts to build this house, but we still need $3 million to match the national Fisher House Foundation effort,” Fabiani said.

The Gainesville Fisher House relies on donations and on the money raised by events it hosts throughout the year.

One of its upcoming events is a 5K, which will take place on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at the University of Florida campus.

“The Fisher House Foundation provides wonderful support, stability, and shelter to wounded warriors and their loved ones, and for that I deeply thank them,” Alicia Mixson said.

For more information about The Gainesville Fisher House Foundation please visit www.GainesvilleFisherHouse.org

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