Service members and their families can face challenges unique to a military lifestyle, but sometimes an unexpected turn of events can add additional tests.
For Guam Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Ed Chaco and his wife, Helen, that turn started in 2014 when Helen was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Due to the cost of moving to Hawaii to get treatment, the Chaco family was discouraged, but thanks to the Tripler Army Medical Center Fisher House, she was able to receive support while undergoing oncology treatment.
The Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of homes where the families of service members and veterans can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving medical treatment at major military and Veterans Affairs medical facilities. The Tripler Fisher House can accommodate 19 families at any given time and is one of 65 Fisher Houses spread throughout the United States.
“It really helps financially,” Helen said. “This place being a home away from home is definitely a great setting. I wouldn’t be alive really if there was no Fisher House. I think that if we were renting a hotel at $3,000 dollars a month or paying a car rental I would probably just give up the fight and go home, but the Fisher House is an awesome place to be, I’m very grateful for it.”
A Burden Lifted
Ed Chaco said he is grateful to the Tripler Fisher House for providing a comfortable place to live during Helen’s treatment process.
“It’s really dear to my heart,” he said. “The first thing that I actually experienced when we first came here was the immediate financial burden that was taken off of our shoulders. As you can imagine, ... the cost of rentals [is] off the charts. It was really unsettling because I have kids back home on Guam and I take care of my wife here, so that was the first thing that [Fisher House] helped us with.”
Ed said that being able to meet other families going through similar trials is equally beneficial.
“This house is a house of healing,” he said. “There are people here with different types of ailments and injuries. Cancer patients can interact and get advice from the experiences that they’ve had and I think that’s one of the most beneficial things about being here.”
Ed believes that a part of the reason they were able to take advantage of what Fisher House has to offer so quickly was largely because of the Tripler Fisher House Manager, Anita Clingerman.
“Anita, I would like to say, is our angel,” Ed said. “She’s the right person for this position.”
The Chacos are just one of the families that Clingerman and Tripler Fisher House employees and volunteers work to help and accommodate.
“Working here and knowing the families, you can’t help but be involved and be a part of the family,” Clingerman said. “This is a home away from home and my mission here is to make them feel at home and feel normal. Whenever they need anything my door is always open, I’m on 24/7 and am happy to help. I’m overwhelmed on what Fisher House does for our military families.”