GE Aerospace Supports Veterans and Military Families with $335,000 Donation to Fisher House

Brandy and Allen Childs couldn’t wait to hold their new baby. But there was no time for that on the day of his cesarean birth at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland. Pregnancy complications threatening the lives of both mom and baby required Owen to be delivered 10 weeks early, in May 2022, and his lungs hadn’t fully developed. His worried parents got just a quick look at their son before he was whisked to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. He would remain hospitalized, requiring oxygen and at times a ventilator, for the first 21 weeks of his life.

“There were hard days, days when doctors said they didn’t see an end in sight for him to go home,” Brandy says. “It was a long, long road.” But it was a road they successfully navigated, thanks to world-class medical teams, tiny Owen’s resilience, and much-appreciated support from Fisher House. 

A nonprofit organization that builds welcoming homes where active military and veteran families can stay free of charge when a loved one has been hospitalized, Fisher House immediately offered the Childs family a room at their Walter Reed Forest Glen location, just 10 minutes from the hospital. The Childses live in Frederick, Maryland — Allen is a sergeant first class in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Detrick — and the 45-mile drive from their home to the hospital can take up to 90 minutes each way when traffic is heavy, which is often. With comfortable, private accommodations at Fisher House, Brandy was able to remain at Owen’s side while her husband returned to work at the base, joining her for hospital visits on weekends. 

“Being close to the hospital was life-changing, and I know my being there helped with Owen’s recovery,” she says. “After four weeks, once he was off the ventilator, I was able to hold him every day. I could spend the morning with him, go back to take a nap at Fisher House, and return to spend the evening at the hospital.”

On the roughest days, when she stayed at Owen’s side until 9 or 10 at night and didn’t have time to eat, she was able to find food in the Fisher House kitchen. “When you’re at the hospital all day, thinking about your child, not having to think about these things is such a blessing,” she says.

How GE Aerospace Supports Fisher House and Veterans

The Forest Glen Fisher House is one of 97 Fisher House homes built near military and Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in the United States and overseas. Each one features seven to 21 private suites, with room for up to 42 family members, along with a common living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room. Since 1990, when the organization was founded by New York–based philanthropist Zachary Fisher, Fisher House homes have welcomed more than 500,000 military families at no charge, saving them a collective $610 million in out-of-pocket expenses, according to the organization’s estimates. Now GE Aerospace is supporting Fisher House with a $335,000 donation.

“GE Aerospace is proud to support organizations that provide critical care to our veterans, military service members, and their families, who have sacrificed so much in service to our nation,” said Amy Gowder, president and CEO, Defense and Systems at GE Aerospace. “From building and servicing engines that power the U.S. military to hiring and supporting our veterans, GE Aerospace is honored to help make an impact in the communities where we live and work.” 

GE Aerospace is a long-standing supporter of the military and veteran community. The company proudly employs thousands of veterans in the U.S. and around the world, and it offers veterans access to a leadership training and placement program, the Military Officer Leadership Program, to assist with their transition into the private sector. GE Aerospace also supports the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge Program, which helps U.S. service members gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships before completely returning to civilian life. With its donation to Fisher House, GE Aerospace intends to underscore the importance of supporting military members, veterans, and their families.

Grateful for Fisher House

After five weeks at Walter Reed, Owen required transfer to Children’s National Hospital, in Washington, D.C. When that happened, Forest Glen Fisher House manager Maurice Borde told the Childses that they were welcome to stay. But as it turned out, the Fisher House associated with the Washington VA Medical Center, which is just steps from Children’s National, stepped in to provide a room. Brandy ended up staying there until October 2022, when doctors declared Owen healthy enough to go home with his parents. 

Now two and a half years old and thriving, Owen is “a typical crazy toddler,” Brandy reports. “He has an amazing personality, he loves to read, and he’s obsessed with Paw Patrol and Mickey Mouse,” she says. “He no longer needs oxygen at all. Looking back at everything and where he’s been, it’s a miracle story.”

“It’s hard to put into words how grateful we are for Fisher House, and for companies like GE Aerospace that donate to them,” she continues. “The work they’re doing is helping so many families” — those of wounded warriors, veterans, and active service members like her husband — “and it means the world to all of us.”