Ducey Family Has Vision For Fisher Houses in Palo Alto

For CFSV donors Jim and Diane Ducey, having a son in active duty in the military felt a lot like watching a child play in the middle of a busy street, yet being entirely helpless to stop him.

Jim and Diane’s son, Captain Richard Lund, a CH-46 helicopter pilot in the 15 th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is currently beginning his second tour of duty in the Middle East in as many years.

Since Richard’s first deployment, Jim and Diane had been searching for a way to help their son and his fellow soldiers from the homefront. “When you have a child in the military, a strange thing happens and all those serving in the war begin to feel like your children,” Diane explains.

After learning how hard it is for spouses and family to stay with wounded soldiers being treated at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto, Jim and Diane have become involved in local efforts to build a Fisher House – a home away from home for VA patients’ families.

“Watching my child go to war is very painful -- I feel so helpless seeing the stories of those killed and injured,” Diane says. “Being able to contribute to the Fisher House in a very concrete way helps reduce that helpless feeling.”

Palo Alto is the only VA Hospital in the Western U.S. specializing in traumatic brain injury, and many of its patients require months of specialized treatment and rehabilitation. During that time, their spouses, parents or children (who often reside in other parts of the country) are not able to be with them unless they can afford to stay at a local hotel, which can be quite expensive in Silicon Valley.

The wife of a young Marine Corps Sergeant being treated in Palo Alto sparked the effort to have a Fisher House constructed in Palo Alto. Built by a national nonprofit, Fisher Houses provide free accommodations for families of soldiers or veterans while they are receiving treatment at many military and Veterans Affairs Hospitals around the country. Families can stay free at Fisher House for as long as they’d like and have access to its dining areas, laundry facilities and private bathrooms.

Land has been donated for the Palo Alto project, and volunteers have $1.6 million to raise. Once the Fisher House is built, the Department of Veterans Affairs will assume all future administration and upkeep costs.

Jim and Diane joined the local effort and provided support via their donor-advised fund at Community Foundation Silicon Valley. They see it as a way to honor soldiers like their son Richard.

“Providing housing for the families of those in hospitals seems like the least that we can do for the men and women who are willing to give their lives for their country,” concludes Diane.