Hero Miles

HERO MILES HELPS THE VALERA FAMILY BE THERE FOR THEIR SON

The Valeras had a memorable 2019 holiday season as the family prepared for one of their sons, a Navy sailor named Michael (Mike), to report to California for four months of training and then a deployment to the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76) in Japan. Mike hung out a lot with his parents, Rick and Cathy, and even took his father on a skydiving trip.

And so, it was shocking for the Rick and Cathy when they got the call a month later that Mike had collapsed right at the start of his training. Navy doctors weren’t sure yet what had happened, but they suspected either a stroke or a seizure.

Rick and Cathy rushed to their son. Cathy flew out within hours of the call while Rick wrapped up loose ends and then joined her. Unfortunately, the doctors couldn’t tell them much more in person. Mike was improving, but he had suffered fractures to his spine, had weakened bones in his spine and skull, and doctors still weren’t sure what had caused his collapse. As the doctors made their plan with Mike, it became clear that a diagnosis could take a while and recovery even longer. Mike’s case manager, Navy Lt. Marissa George, asked the family if they knew about Fisher House. Rick is a Navy veteran and Cathy retired after 21 years in the Navy, but they weren’t familiar with the Fisher House program and were surprised when they first entered the Naval Medical Center San Diego Fisher House. “They’re like a warm blanket,” Rick said of the Fisher House. “You know, it was an amazing experience with them.” The family worked with Lt. George and Fisher House as they received updates from the doctors. Mike felt fine, but some of his bones were still fragile, and the hunt for an underlying cause was going poorly. Rick and Cathy knew they couldn’t both stay in California the whole time, but the medical staff let them know how important it was to Mike’s morale and improvement that he have familiar faces.

So, they resolved to take turns, each of them spending a few weeks in California while the other took care of things in Florida, then switch. Luckily, another Fisher House program was there to help: Hero Miles.

Hero Miles accepts frequent flyer miles and donated dollars to purchase tickets for wounded or ill service members and their families for the purposes of medical care. For the Valeras, that meant that they could always have one parent with

Mike as he recovered. In June, Mike’s condition was still being investigated. As Rick described, “We’ve eliminated about 60 things it could be.”

Luckily, those 60 things eliminated include the most dangerous prospects. While Mike is eager for a diagnosis, it’s likely that he can eventually make a full recovery. Until then, Fisher House will work to keep the family together, because a family’s love

fisherhouse.org/heromiles

is good medicine.