Free lodging for families of ill veterans goal of Ann Arbor Fisher House project

Eastern Michigan University student and veteran Daniel Patrick poses for a photo outside of the Military and Veteran Services office at Pierce Hall at EMU on Thursday, January 4, 2018. Patrick is also director of Fisher House of Michigan and is working to raise $5 million to build a Fisher home near the Veteran's Hospital in Ann Arbor. Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News(Melanie Maxwell)

YPSILANTI, MI - After Daniel Patrick was severely injured by a grenade explosion during a tour of combat in Iraq with the U.S. Marines in 2006, his father was eventually able to be by his side as he recovered, thanks to a Fisher House located near Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

Fisher Houses provide free lodging around the country for relatives of military veterans undergoing hospital treatment. And for Patrick, the service allowed him the comfort of family after difficult stays at medical facilities in Fallujah, Baghdad and Germany.

More than a decade later, Patrick finds himself in a position he never could have predicted, serving as director of Fisher House Michigan, which is raising funds to build its first house in Michigan.

"This would've been the last thing I expected, but when it was put in front of me, it was another chance to serve my brothers and sisters," said Patrick, who is now a sophomore at Eastern Michigan University studying English literature, composition and journalism. "That wasn't something I got to do in a while and it was something I couldn't pass up.

"I remember how many people had given to me or breathed life into my career that were amazing mentors. So, I felt like it was my turn to give back," he added. "I didn't want to wait until I focused on my career and then eventually give back. It was more of a now thing. It means a lot to me personally as I was an injured Marine and Fisher House did reach out to my father."

Patrick, 29, approaches his newest challenge of building the Michigan's first Fisher House - which he compares to a Ronald McDonald House in terms of the service it provides - with the same forward-thinking approach he learned in the military.

Fisher House of Michigan is in the process of raising $3.5 million to build the home by 2019, when the Fisher House organization hopes to break ground on a facility offering families of veterans a place to stay at no cost while their loved ones receive treatment at the Veteran's Hospital in Ann Arbor.

Additionally, the group is raising an extra $1.5 million in backup funds to run the house. Plans already have been approved to build the facility.

With 75 Fisher Houses worldwide, Patrick notes that as a "guard and reserve state," there is less awareness for Michigan's military and veterans in general, meaning there aren't soldiers from active duty seeking treatment when they've been wounded.

Regardless, with four Fisher Houses built in Ohio alone, and a fifth facility on the way, Patrick believes there is a need for a Fisher House in Michigan with the majority of the state's 650,000 veterans being 50 years of age or older.

"A lot of these guys are Agent Orange Vietnam veterans. A lot of these guys have cancer and cardiac issues that come with age," Patrick said. "Our need for a Fisher House is as strong as anywhere else. I think the biggest thing we like to note for people of Ann Arbor is Ohio has four of these already, with a fifth one on the way. We don't even have one yet - that's not OK."

The next mission

Patrick's lifelong dream was to be a U.S. Marine, and he enlisted shortly after graduating from Stockbridge High School in 2005, with the hope of quickly deploying soon thereafter.

After attending the Marine Corps Base Boot Camp in Pendleton, California, he was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, which was the scene of some of the most brutal fighting in the Iraq War.

After he was wounded by an enemy hand grenade, he spent the rest of his service in and out of hospitals in what is now the Wounded Warrior Regiment. 

The explosion severely injured Patrick's hand - his index finger is fused straight, while around "half of the hand" is made of metal and some bone from his hip. Because some of the metal is beginning to deteriorate, doctors are "probably going to have to amputate a good chunk of it," Patrick said.

In addition, Patrick suffered a traumatic brain injury, his forearm was rebuilt and surgeons implanted a new left hip following the incident. In total, Patrick still has at least 100 pieces of shrapnel in his body.

"The longest lasting effect that takes the longest to get over is more the mental and emotional side," Patrick said, noting he's still "a lot better off than a lot of people."

"That's definitely taken a long time and I think is still something I'll deal with the rest of my life. You deal with it the same way the military teaches you to - you adapt and move on - and you live life a little differently."

His injuries haven't soured him on his experience in the military, though, and have actually continued to motivate him to serve in any way he can through his work as the head of Fisher House Michigan.

"It changed my life quite a bit, in most ways, but surprisingly a lot of good has come out of it," Patrick said. "There's also been a lot of bad. I wake up in pain and there are days I still have a lot of issues.

"I almost think it's gratifying in a way when you pay a price for something you're fighting for," he added. "It kind of reminds you that that thing is important enough to get hurt (for). To be upset about that kind of takes away any ideal I had that what I was fighting for was important enough or what I was doing was anything other than necessary."

The need for a home

Eastern Michigan University student and Iraq veteran Daniel Patrick is leading the effort to raise funds to build a $3.5 million Fisher House facility in Ann Arbor. The facility, which houses family members of veterans while they receive care, would be the first Fisher House in Michigan.

After experiencing the impact a Fisher House can have firsthand, Patrick said he was excited to take on his unexpected role as the new director of Fisher House Michigan when he was approached with the opportunity by former Executive Director Kate Melcher.

He had recently enrolled at EMU and was doing some freelance writing for Fisher House Michigan when Melcher spoke with him about taking on a larger role with the nonprofit.

As the new director, Patrick's focus is primarily dedicated to fundraising, but also outreach and raising awareness on Fisher House's mission - offering sanctuary and care for families of veterans while they are in the hospital or receiving serious care.

Once funded and built, the Michigan Fisher House is expected to be a 16-suite, 13,400-square-foot, handicap accessible facility capable of housing 16 families. Karen Kerry, a longtime Ann Arbor resident and member of the Fisher House Michigan Board of Directors, notes that families will be able to walk right into the VA hospital from the house, with no worries about driving, parking or other logistics.

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System Public Affairs Officer Brian Hayes said the addition of a Fisher House to the hospital's campus would be welcomed, as it receives more than 5,000 requests a year for overnight lodging.

"Contextually, having a Fisher House allows us to better serve our Veterans, because they will be able to have loved one's present during their healing process," Hayes said. "We always aim to treat the whole person when a veteran has entrusted their healthcare to us.  It is well known that having family or other supportive people nearby during sometimes scary procedures is helpful to healing.

Another home for veterans

While he is in the process of helping build a home serving military families, Patrick has found a family of his own among fellow veterans attending EMU.

The staff at EMU's Lt. Col. Charles S. Kettles Military and Veteran Services Resource Center has helped him adapt to life as a college student, Patrick said, from assisting in assembling a class schedule to helping make connections on campus and within the greater community.

For someone who hadn't attended school in 15 years, the support has been invaluable.

"I've always loved to learn, but I didn't always love the school part. I was kind of a procrastinator," Patrick said of the transition into college life. "So, I wasn't sure how the transition was going to be, I was incredibly nervous, but the Vet Center here has been amazing. I actually love school now. I think now, being older, I appreciate it more. I want to do well, I don't want to go here just to get a piece of paper. I want to excel and go beyond that."

Zachary Thomas, an EMU sophomore and Navy reservist who is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, said he has found the university's concentration on looking out for veterans to be the most welcoming among all of the college campuses he's visited.

EMU recently was ranked third in the U.S. among the top "Military and Veteran Friendly Universities" by GI Jobs Magazine. EMU's Military and Veteran Services also was also awarded the Gold Standard by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency for 2017.

"You walk in and it's a very friendly atmosphere," Thomas said of EMU's Vet Center. "All of us veterans share a special bond anyway, so Immediately you're talking to one of your best friends. Immediately I got help going in the right direction."

On average, EMU has 500 unique people on its campus that are either veterans or their dependents or spouses who are using G.I. Bill benefits, EMU Veterans Center Director Mike Wise said.

Wise said helping veteran students make connections within the existing military community is a big part of what makes EMU "military friendly," along with identifying the types of talents they have to offer.

"I think it's a testament to the types of people that come out of the service to go to school and get their bachelor's degree after their service," Wise said. "What our office has done is get to know our veterans and we've seen there's a lot of talent. We try to bring them more resources so they can get the internships and the suitable jobs after graduation."

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