If you have stayed at Fisher House, receive our newsletter, or volunteer here you have met Zachary F. Bear.He has lived at the Puget Sound Fisher House for over five years and spends most of his time hanging out on the bench in the front hall, waiting to welcome home guests.

Here's how Zachary found us: a donor had called with the offer of a teddy bear. Small teddy bears are given out to all the guests and there is a stash of miscellaneous bear friends in the children's play corner of the living room. One more bear would certainly be welcome. "This one is kinda big," the donor warned. But the staff felt sure a bear, whatever its size, would find someone to love it. When the donor arrived, carrying a bear nearly as tall as himself, the staff knew that this was not your average bear. Zachary F. Bear had found a home.

As far as we know, Zachary is the only stuffed ambassador (ambearssador, perhaps?) in the Fisher House program and he takes the responsibility of that position seriously.






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Zachary is a bear of simple tastes although he loves to dress up for the holidays. ​

Like any true Seattleite Zachary is a dedicated 12. How many bears do you know who can say they've held the Lombardi trophy? (Of course, he needed a little help. Paws are tricky that way.)
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In the summer Zachary enjoys spending time in the garden.

And winter afternoons are the perfect time for a hot cup of tea.

Zachary loves to meet fans and supporters at fundraising events. He's always happy to share the story of Fisher House with anyone who will listen.

But Zachary's favorite thing, his reason for being, is to bring joy and give love to the guests of the House. And he does that very, very well. 

March came in like a lion and it would be premature to put away the winter clothes just yet. But Spring is coming. You can see it in the budding trees, the forsythia that have gone from pale green to brilliant yellow overnight, the brave little crocuses pushing up their heads through the soggy winter ground. Spring is the time for cleaning up, planting, and beginning anew. That is certainly the case for the Friends of Puget Sound Fisher House!

The Friends' Garden Committee has begun planning the garden parties, during which teams of volunteers will help maintain the lovely spaces that surround the Fisher House and soon we'll be planting out the vegetable gardens. 

Fundraising events are in the works, including two golf tournaments, and our annual Veterans Day Weekend WInetasting. (Check the Events page on this website every once in a while for details.)

New Fisher Houses are popping up like daffodils. Since the November dedication of the second House at Joint Base Lewis McChord we have welcomed Las Vegas (VA Southern Nevada) and Arizona (also VA) to the family. And in just a few short weeks #70 will open in Vancouver, Washington, serving the Portland VA. (Just for perspective, the Puget Sound House was #40. That's thirty houses in seven years!)

We're also rebooting this blog, with at least one post a week to share stories from the House, introduce you to our staff, volunteers, supporters, and Board of Directors, and celebrate the community that is the Fisher House family.

Thank you for supprting the families who call Fisher House home. Happy March!

It had been a rough week in Fisher House. A couple families had loved ones pass away. Others had patients who were gravely ill. The atmosphere was gloomy. I got to work on Friday morning and manager Cecile Bagrow stopped me at the office door. "I have decided that no one comes into this office today unless they do a Soul Train line dance!" She turned on some Marvin Gaye and said, "You can come in, but you'd better be dancin'". 

She made the same announcement to the housekeepers Any time they came in they had to dance. (You really haven't lived until you've seen a housekeeper empty a waste basket to "Got to Give it Up"). 

Then the real fun started. Every time a guest came to the office door Cecile would jump up from her desk saying, "Stop!" She'd run to the boom box, tell the guest what was going on, hit the 'play' button and say, "Now dance!"  Old and young, black and white, adults and children, each one complied. They'd dance in, first a little hesitantly and then, as Cecile and I clapped and danced on either side, each guest would drop the sheepish grin, burst into a smile and bust a move. Everyone played along, even an older woman with a walker! (Now that.was a sight!)

Each guest would boogie from one end of the office to the other, then Cecile would turn off the music, sit at her desk and ask, very professionally, "What can we do for you today?" It was silly and frivolous. It was fun and sometimes downright hysterical. But the Day of the Soul Train Line Dance accomplished an important purpose. Gloom was replaced by light and sadness got smacked down by joy and laughter.

Some days, you just have to dance.

While others were devising elaborate pranks and fake news stories, the guests of VA Puget Sound Fisher House were celebrating April Fruits Day.

Guest Mike K has been in the House for several months, tending to his brother. Mike is the kind of guy who never met a stranger, who has a big heart and a big laugh. He is always looking for ways to help out other guests and staff (more than once he's lent a hand when one of the housekeepers had to be out). Mike used to live and work in LA, working in catering and craft services (the food provided for actors and crew on movie sets). Get him started on the subject of food and wine...he knows his stuff. 

One day he was showing pictures of some of the fruit displays he's done for events. "I should do something like this for the other guests," he said. "That would be fun". Fun indeed. April Fruits Day was born! Mike spent weeks thinking about his theme (a mountain) and planning, He visited McPherson's, the produce stand j near the hospital, to order the freshest and best produce. Then he spent hours and hours cutting fruit, making banana balls* and arranging the display. 

Folks stood around, awed and delighted. But no one wanted to be the first to disturb the work of art. Mike grabbed a big strawberry, popped it into his mouth and said, "OK? Now eat!" Delighted guests filled plates for themselves, then made up packets to take to their patients and the nurses who care for them.

Mike was pleased with the reaction. "I want to find a way to give back," he said. We'd say he found a spectacular (and delicious) method.

Banana Balls: Cut firm but ripe bananas into chunks (about 1" thick). Put on a parchment line baking pan and freeze for a couple hours, until firm. Dip frozen chunks into yogurt, then roll in flaked coconut. Return to freezer until ready to serve. And if you happen to has some warm chocolate sauce for dipping, all the better!

The Fisher House has often been described as being on par with a five star hotel. But Georgia went one better: "I expected a hotel-type setting with a kitchen available, not the Taj Mahal!"

"I had heard Fisher House was wonderful but I was very impressed with all the amenities, the huge kitchen, dining room, laundry room plus the availability of food. There was a wonderful variety plus baking supplies! No one could possibly go hungry or be dissatisfied with Fisher House!"

Georgia noted with surprise that being in Fisher House made her feel "relaxed and carefree during the most stressful of times". Like so many other guests, Georgia found the sense of community to be one of the most enjoyable and helpful parts of her stay. "Being with others, sharing our ups and downs, enjoying the relaxing kitchen chatter...we would discuss the day's occurences and be able to support and encourage each other". Then she summed up the magic of Fisher House: "Although we were strangers everyone was so congenial. All the personalities blended under the heading "we are all supporting our hospitalized Veterans". 

"Fisher House is a gift to the families of our Veterans," Georgia said. "It's a comfortable and homey place to be during difficult times," Bet no one ever said that about the Taj Mahal.

In 2013 a community outreach group from ISEC contacted Fisher House about doing a volunteer project. They arrived for a tour with plates of cookies and a lot of enthusiasm. This meeting coincided with the beginning of the work for Phase II of the Healing Garden. Since ISEC is a firm specializing in construction projects it made sense to have them help with construction of the pergola that would mark the entrance from the existing patio to the new garden space. They went at it with enthusiasm. And, admittedly, there was some nervousness when the team arrived on site to erect the pergola. It was HUGE! But once it was installed, tweaked and painted, it was perfect, beautifully constructed and looking as if it had always been in place. 

Part of the magic of VA Puget Sound Fisher House is that once a group or individual discovers the House, they fall in love. What starts as a great one-time project very often leads to more visits, more engagement with the House. ISEC was no exception. Last week,Jesse Maddox (who headed up the original crew in 2013) returned with some of his collegues to show them the House, the beautiful garden and have them learn more about Fisher House. In addition to presenting a generous donation to Fisher House Foundation, the ISEC group also pledged volunteer hours. They are eager to work in the garden they helped create. And one woman, Laura, was so moved by what she saw that she has decided that not only will she be helping organize ISEC volunteers, she's going to recruit her own friends and family to come make a meal or do something else special for the families.

During our time together there was a lot of talk about what Fisher House means to the families. For the ISEC folks it was personal. Many were Veterans. Some had been through illness themselves or with a parent and knew how much family support matters duriing those times. For them, Fisher House isn't a feel-good project. It is a mission.

Thank you. ISEC. You've made a mark on the Fisher House and on our hearts!

Mrs. W's first reaction on coming to Fisher House was the way it felt. "It was so beautiful and restful. The art and furnishings put a smile on my face. I took pictures of some of my favorite areas and ideas for my home!"

But here is how Mrs. W learned about the spirit of the place. "One night I came back late from the hospital. It had been a stressful day. I was tired and hungry. I had missed the dinner Tun Tavern Grub Club had made but I knew to look in the fridge for leftovers. I pulled out a foil pan of food but it bent and spilled all over the floor. I was so embarrased and upset with myself. I got down to start cleaning it up and another woman staying in the House came in. She got down on her hands and knees with me and helped me clean up this big mess. It almost brought me to tears.We got most of the mess cleaned up and then she said, 'I've been here before; I know where they keep the mop.' and she jumped up to get it. She finished mopping and then said, 'Now. Let's have a cup of tea!' She was so kind and helpful. The openess of guests, sharing their stories and seeing how brave and positive they are...it really gave me perspective on my own situation. Talking to other guests was a blessing in itself".

Mrs.W also appreciated the opportunities she had to take care of herself. "This was one of the most favorable experiences I've had since becoming a caregiver to my spouse. I even had a massage! (Thanks, Charles!) Thank you, from my heart. After a week of stress I'm feeling much better and rested".

This blog is designed to give you insight into the magic of Fisher House and to celebrate all the wonderful people who make the program possible. But, true confession, today's post is about me. Well, it's about something I recently experienced that deepened my sense of what Fisher House is really all about. Now, you'd think, what with entering my seventh year with this program, I would know all there is to know. But sometimes "knowing" and "understanding" are two different things.

My papa passed away on January 30th. My mom was committed to caring for him at home and with the help of a wonderful hospice team was able to do so. My baby sister and I were at the house in Daddy's last days, helping Mom and spending as much time as we could with Dad. He was never alone. At least one of us was always with him. The night he died we were all in his room. Mom prayed with him. We sang his favorite hymns. My brother-in-law read some poems he'd written for Dad. We wept, we laughed, we told Daddy over and over that it was okay for him to go, that we loved him, that we would be all right. And very early in the morning he slipped away.

It was an amazing, rich experience. I often thought that this is how all of us should be able to go out - having lived a rich, full life, surrounded by people who love us. I was so thankful that both my sister and I live nearby, enabling us to share in those last precious days. 

That's when it hit me. I talk all the time about how Fisher House allows families to be with their ill or injured loved one and how important that is for the patient and the family.I have known what that looks like, seen thousands of families able to do just that. But for the first time I got to feel what it's like; to know how much comfort it brought to both Dad and Mom to have us there. And to experience first hand the peace of knowing that I was there for my Dad as he had been there for me all through my life. I'm grateful I could be there. And I'm more grateful than ever that Fisher House exists to offer that exact same gift to other families.

And hands are at work every day, symbolizing the heart in action: preparing a meal, massaging a tight neck, folding towls, placing a welcoming teddy bear on a bed, pulling a weed, writing a check (or clicking a button), decorating for a party, knitting, offering a hug to someone who is overwhelmed or tired or sad.

There are thousands of hands and hearts that embrace the mission of Fisher House, offering service and pouring out love to families far from home. It's a beautiful thing.