When a critically ill or injured patient needs a hospital stay, family is usually close behind. Sometimes they must travel long distances to be near their loved one, but endless hours on the road, expensive hotel stays, and the stress of not always being nearby can get in the way.
Watch what happened when Graciela Mesa and Jose Cordero found themselves in that situation after their daughter was born very premature.
Terry’s House is a home-away-from-home for families who have patients in critical care at Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno. Located across the street from the 685-bed hospital, Terry’s House provides a comfortable place for families to stay while visiting loved ones at the hospital.
The home is named after Terry Richards, who was 5 years old when he was seriously injured in a car crash in 1960. For nearly five months his mother traveled almost 80 miles a day to be by her son’s side while he recovered at the hospital. When Terry passed away in 2011, a gift from Terry’s brother Tom Richards and many other donors made Terry’s House a reality.
Since opening a decade ago, the 17,000-square-foot home with 20 private guest rooms has hosted more than 8,500 families from 34 countries and all 50 states. Terry’s House is funded completely by donations and families pay a nominal fee to stay there. But nobody is ever turned away for the inability to pay.
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