Lake Nona Fisher House opens to offer respite to vets’ families
Several hundred supporters gathered Wednesday across from the Orlando VA Medical Center to mark the official opening of the Orlando Fisher House — a $6 million, 16-suite estate expected to provide comfort, camaraderie and a free place to stay for thousands of veterans’ families while their loved ones are undergoing medical treatment.
“For all of you who have spent time in a foxhole or endured patrols in a sweltering heat … for those of you who have lived months on end in the stark confines of a ship’s berthing compartment, and for the families and loved ones … I say you deserve this lavish house,” said Greg Smith, an Oviedo Navy veteran and president of Friends of Fisher House Orlando, the local charity working to raise money for the project.
The stately two-story home in Lake Nona, with its pale yellow paint and tile roof, is the 76th built by the nonprofit Fisher House Foundation on military bases and VA medical centers around the world. One of the nation’s highest-rated charities, the foundation serves the families of both veterans and active-duty personnel and often helps with transportation costs, too.
Legendary collegiate football coach Lou Holtz, who now lives in Lake Nona, told the crowd he agreed to be honorary chairman for the Friends of Fisher House Orlando because veterans deserve more gratitude than they are generally shown.
“There’s no way in this world we could ever repay the veterans — and their families — for the sacrifices they’ve made,” Holtz said to a standing ovation. Holtz served as an officer in the Army after graduating from Kent State University.
Since the first two Fisher Houses were opened in Bethesda, Md., and Washington, D.C., in 1991, the homes have saved veterans and their families an estimated $370 million in out-of-pocket lodging and transportation costs.
But officials said they provide more than a free room.
“Every time [veterans and their families] walk in the front door of a Fisher House, they hear the voice of the American people saying, ‘Welcome to your home away from home, and most importantly thank you for what you’ve done for our nation,’ ” said Randy Reeves, the U.S. Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.
Maureen Karkovice, who lives in Osceola County, was a single parent of four when her eldest son — a Marine at Camp Lejeune — underwent surgery for cancer at the base hospital. She was able to stay in the local Fisher House to be by his side.
“Honestly, staying in the Fisher House, it was the one
time I felt taken care of,” she said. “I could be there for him, but I also had an opportunity to feel there were arms of compassion wrapped around me.”
She and her son, John Patrick Karkovice, who has since recovered and is retired from the military, both serve on the board of the Friends of Fisher House Orlando.
The organization continues to raise money to pay off construction costs and will provide maintenance for the home.
The Orlando house has 16 guest suites — each with a private bathroom, a common kitchen; laundry facilities, a dining room and a large living room with library.
It is scheduled to begin accepting families next month, as soon as wiring for phone, internet and the security system is finished.
Medal of Honor recipient Melvin Morris, recognized for his heroism while an Army staff sergeant in Vietnam, told the audience he wished there had been a Fisher House at the military hospital in Japan where he was taken after crossing enemy lines to recover a fallen comrade.
“I know firsthand how important it is,” he said. “My wife couldn’t come visit me. If I [hadn’t survived], that would have been it.”