Ken MacMillan first met Judy while being treated for injuries sustained during the Vietnam War. Judy was a nurse at the hospital, and despite Ken’s repeated attempts to strike up a conversation, she kept their interactions strictly professional.

“I was in the hospital as I met her before we even talked to one another. I kept going back and trying to talk to her.”

It was not until two months after Ken was released from active duty that Judy finally agreed to get to know him outside the hospital. The relationship that began after his service grew into a lifelong partnership. Today, the couple has been married for 55 years, and Ken now serves as Judy’s caregiver as she navigates serious medical challenges.

In mid-December 2023, Judy was referred to LA after experiencing migraines and backaches. Additional testing, including a CT scan, revealed swelling and blood on her brain that required immediate drainage and other emergency procedures. What was expected to be a day trip quickly turned into an extended stay when doctors determined she would need follow-on physical therapy and recovery care.

That same day, a hospital social worker contacted Fisher House on Ken’s behalf, ensuring he would have a place to stay close to Judy during her treatment.

“I went over there, and again, being the holidays, it was kind of interesting, really the best way to say it, it was very embracing,” he explained. “They checked me in, and they had just had a Christmas party. It was all this leftover stuff. Anything I needed. They were just so cordial. People were sitting in the living room watching tv, talking to each other. They were in the kitchen making food, talking to each other. And that was very nice. And that, in itself, was a good feeling.”

Ken said the financial relief of staying at a Fisher House was significant, but the emotional comfort mattered even more.

“It saved me a ton of money, and it did. I mean, because you’re not going to get a room down there for less than $400 or $500 a night in that area,” he said. “So, it saved me a lot of money while I was down there. But it wasn’t that as much as, like I say, it was just the feeling. It was like a cocoon feeling.”

Fisher Houses offer more than a place to sleep. They foster a sense of community while also providing private space for rest and reflection.

“I made it what I wanted it to be for me. I ran into one guy who was a Vietnam veteran. He was also from a similar part of the country that I was, and he was there because of his wife, too. And we’d just have occasional conversations,” he said. “It was there when I wanted to, and it was there when I didn’t want to, and I go up to the room and do what I needed to do.”

As a dual-military couple, Ken reflected on how easily their roles could be reversed.

“But if I had been in the hospital as a veteran, and she were the one staying at the Fisher House, I would feel so relaxed knowing the environment she was staying at, having known what it was like,” he said.

“So, I mean, that’s good for the person in the hospital to know also that the people are there with them are staying in that kind of an environment.”