Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 | 2 a.m.
Don Fitzgerald got the call that his son was injured while serving in Afghanistan and was to be treated at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Washington, D.C.
Fitzgerald, who moved to Las Vegas in 1996, immediately flew across the country to be with his son and the rest of their family.
During the 2 1/2-year period that his son was in the hospital, Fitzgerald’s family traveled across the country many times to visit, often relying on the kindness of the Fisher House living spaces built at military and Veterans Affairs medical centers for families of veterans or active-duty service members receiving treatment.
It’s why Fitzgerald, president of the Henderson Black Mountain Lions Club, on Wednesday morning manned the grill, happily flipping hamburgers with fellow club members and helping the Las Vegas Fisher House celebrate its ninth anniversary.
“It’s kind of like a Ronald McDonald House for veterans’ families, (and) it just takes burdens off the family because you’re the distraught one, but they just kind of go out of their way a thousand percent to make sure that you’re comfortable,” Fitzgerald said. “I couldn’t have made it without them. … It’s a godsend for families of veterans, and this facility has grown in the number of people that use it.”
The first Fisher House opened in 1991 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., after builder and philanthropist Zachary Fisher heard about a family who landed at the hospital with little clue on where they would stay.
Zachary and his wife, Elizabeth Fisher, gave over $20 million to the construction of temporary homes for families of hospitalized military personnel to stay.
There are 99 Fisher Houses internationally, with the 100th set to open in Chicago this spring, said Karen Estabrook, chairperson of the Nevada Veterans Foundation, the fundraising arm that helps secure money for the living facility.
The VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System broke ground on the 13,500-square-foot Las Vegas Fisher House in 2015 at its North Las Vegas campus, then opened it a year later.
It was designed with 16 private guest suites that include one or two beds, a full bathroom, dresser and closet — all of which are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each room also has a television, computer access and a landline telephone.
On the first floor, guests can make use of a family room and living room, common kitchen, dining room and laundry facilities. There’s even a spacious patio area with shade and backyard grills — donated by the Henderson Black Mountain Lions Club — for guests to share.
The Fisher House in Las Vegas last year saw almost 700 families walk through its doors, Estabrook said. All it takes is one call to the house to ensure space is open, she added.
“The Fisher House is a home away from home when an active-military or veteran is undergoing medical treatment and that family member or caregiver has to travel more than 50 miles to support their loved ones,” Estabrook said. “The family’s love is good medicine; it has been proven that it does help in the healing process (and) in the recovery process, so it’s much better if those loved ones, the family members or caregivers could be here.”
But the Las Vegas Fisher House doesn’t just provide housing to families of veterans or active-duty service members receiving treatment nearby. Local volunteers, like the Henderson Black Mountain Lions Club, come often to cook meals for families, help clean the property or pack grab-and-go lunches.
Randi Walton, a registered nurse at the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, visits the Las Vegas Fisher House every two months with a group of fellow nurses. Walton realized during her first trip to the Las Vegas Fisher House that it was a “worthy cause,” and she became inspired to continue serving hospital patients and their families.
For the past eight months, Walton has organized the hospital volunteer groups — getting up to 14 people each time to help with deep cleanings or cooking for families.
Walton explained that the Las Vegas Fisher House is “a really great resource” because families — many who have to travel from out of state — can focus on caring for their hospitalized loved one instead of worrying about where to sleep at night, food, laundry or even paying for lodging.
In Las Vegas, where hotel rates can sometimes skyrocket due to demand, the Fisher House provides housing at no cost to the family or hospitalized service member, Estabrook said.
The Las Vegas Fisher House “is just a really great resource when people are going through such a hard time and are already stretched so thin by having to bring their loved ones to the hospital,” Walton said. “Our veterans have given so much, as have their families. In any way that I can give back, it feels like I should and I need to.”
Those interested in volunteering can call 702-224-6789. Monetary donations can be made online at nevadavets.org.