Peace of Mind and a Place to Heal

Peace of Mind and a Place to Heal

Story by Michelle Baldanza Photo by Leanila Baptiste Photography

In 2007, while deployed in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Maj. Christopher Glover, a military police officer, was shot while working to open a new prison facility. He was medically evacuated through Landstuhl, Germany to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

“That was probably one of the hardest things. During one of the most traumatic times in my husband’s life, I wasn't able to be by his side for the first week,” said Christopher’s wife, Yvonne. “You have to rely on speaking to strangers on the phone from afar.”

Yvonne, her mother-in-law, and Christopher’s cousin drove to San Antonio from Louisiana where Yvonne lived at the time.

“ There was this sense of “There was this sense of peace I felt we peace I felt we had at had at Fisher House because of the Fisher House because of community environment.” the community environment.”

“It was important for us to be there when he arrived. And so we did, and we were there when they landed and then we had this journey, this unknown journey, that we started off on.”

At that time, Yvonne had shifted her career from corporate work and was working to help National Guard units and individuals returning from deployment. Because of this, she had awareness of a lot of military programs, but she never thought she would have to take advantage of those resources.

“The great thing about Fisher House is that it was nearby, and we were fortunate to be able to get a room,” she said.

Christopher switched to outpatient care early on during his recovery because it provided a greater sense of control over the situation.

Yvonne helped dress his wounds, and she was comforted knowing that if something did go wrong, they were very close to the hospital.

Christopher was originally due to return from Afghanistan just a month after his injury. Their family was scheduled to move to a new duty station, and their children were finishing school. All these issues weighed on Yvonne, but Fisher House gave her a break from worrying and allowed her to be there for her husband.

“They had luxury-brand kitchen appliances and wonderfully decorated living areas; a perfect backdrop for camaraderie and good conversation with other people that were there,” she explained. “When there were so many unknown things, it gave you peace.”

Yvonne recalled conversations with a young service member’s dad who was staying at the Fisher House to care for his wounded son and the dad having to leave because his mom had suffered a heart attack back home. She remembered how families came together, and that there was an opportunity for healing through conversations with people who may have been in a similar situation.

After two weeks, they felt confident they could return home. There was a high demand for rooms at Fisher House, so they wanted to give the space to another family. They also recognized the need to get back to their regular life.

“I could see the service members were trying to rush to get back to whatever was normal. I felt it as well,” she explained. “Like if I can rush and get back to whatever this sense of normalcy is, then I can have some control over a situation that I probably didn’t have control over.”

Christopher remained on active duty and retired in 2015. He continues to serve as a civilian working for the government. Yvonne supported the caregiver community through her work by giving to the Fisher House, sometimes through fundraisers within her office. She also helped support the development of the recovery care coordinator program for the Secretary of Defense saying that her experience with Fisher House helped shape the work she did to help military families.

“Fisher House was an escape close by where I could quickly cook a meal,” said Yvonne. “I saw families who had been there much longer. They became friends and would cook a meal together. Fisher House provided these escapes. I would say that probably stands out to me more than I realized.”

“There's so much more beyond those basic needs that I don't think people realize in a time of trauma, whether it's illness that you're dealing with or something traumatic from the war, you don't realize the things that you need that make a difference in that recovery. And I believe that's where Fisher House differentiates itself from just the regular hotel.”