Oct 05

NORA's Home - Partnering With Patients

NORA's Home, named for a special little girl with a big heart, located in Memphis’ downtown medical center. The house is open to relatives of patients at any of the five hospitals who pay $30 or less a night for a room with two double beds and a private bath. Often, hospitals and agencies that refer families to NORA's Home pay part of the cost. Much of the operating cost for NORA's Home is funded through donations from surgeons themselves who have chosen to partner with their patients by providing housing assistance to their families during their hospital stay. Frances Johnson stayed while she was undergoing dialysis. Michelle Mitchell took advantage of the hospitality at NORA's Home while her daughter was in labor. Jimmy Crabtree's family called it home for three weeks while their father underwent surgery for injuries from an auto accident. All three of these people and their families, along with thousands of others over the past four years, have used the only hospitality house designed for adult patients and their family members in Memphis.

Nora was the daughter of Drs. Osama and Lillian Gaber, physicians with Methodist University Hospital and the University of Tennessee Medical Center. When Nora died at the age of seven, friends and family decided to remember her in a special way. "I knew Nora and she was a little girl with some interesting features to her character, " says founding board member Linda Moore. "Even though she was a child, she was always concerned about people, other people who didn't have homes or food. She was very aware of people less fortunate than she was. It made her a very special little girl." Moore says Nora was so concerned about homeless people and that on a family vacation to Italy, the little girl gave her money for souvenirs to homeless people on the streets. "And when she died, so tragically, we wanted to do something to remember her," she said. "Nora herself was so concerned about people, we decided to start the not for profit organization and NORA's Home. It seemed the natural thing to do, something she would want."

"People often don't plan for the things that bring them to Memphis' trauma centers or emergency rooms," says Dr. Osama Gaber, Nora's father and Chief of Transplant Surgery at Methodist University Hospital. "So NORA's Home offers them a place to stay, while their family is recovering." Many of the patients come to Memphis' major hospitals—the Regional Medical Center, Methodist University Hospital and the Veterans' Administration Hospital. For those who must stay in the city for more than a few days, NORA's Home is a haven. "Something magical happens there," Moore says. "There are rooms, like hotel rooms, but there are common areas too. And in the family room, people talk and share their problems. It becomes a real support center for people whose families are undergoing medical emergencies."

Dr. Waleed Gaber is Nora's uncle, and also a member of the board of directors. He describes his role as a "supporting actor" in the foundation's effort to provide housing for people with medical needs. He emphasizes the fact that NORA's Home is the only hospitality house in the Memphis area that provides housing for adults from any area hospital. Memphis' more famous home, the Ronald McDonald House, only allows families of children who are patients at St. Jude Children Research Center. "Nora's Home, however is open to a very diverse population," he says. "People from the VA Hospital might be traveling from another state, and need a place to stay for a few days. Often, they are elderly and handicapped. Or, a family from Texas could have a car accident on the highway. They weren't planning to stay in Memphis but Nora's Home gives them someplace to go."

The home currently houses 20 families a night, and staff members must send the overflow of families to hotels in the area. For this reason, the umbrella foundation for NORA's Home is launching a $2 million capital campaign to raise money for another house. The foundation sponsors galas, art auctions, and golf tournaments to raise money for the home. So far, their need for family accommodations continues to outpace their growth. "We've reached a point that the need is greater, so we're looking to expand. This house will be more like a home," says Osama Gaber. "It will be one of the charming houses in Midtown, and help families feel more like they are staying at home. What we have now is more like a hotel."

But Nora's Life Gift Foundation isn't just about housing families of medical patients. The foundation has a broader purpose as well. Since they are organ transplant surgeons, Osama Gaber and Hosein Shokouh-Amiri, also on the board of directors, focus on raising awareness about the importance of organ donation. "Initially, because it was my line of work, and there is a great need, we focused on organ donation. But we also found that in all of the Mid south, there were no homes for people with catastrophic illness or accidents. So, we decided to do both." The foundation hopes to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation, and how organ donation saves lives. They plan to continue that focus, and to assist patients with end-stage organ failure.

Funding Nora's Home
NORA’s Home is a not for profit organization which depends on donations from individuals and corporations to subsidize the hospitality services provided to guests at NORA’s Home. The per night charge to families staying at NORA’s Home is less than 40% of the cost of running NORA’s Home. Primary funding for NORA’s Home is provided by NORA’s Life Gift Foundation through a foundation endowment, charitable grants from corporations, and generous donations from people just like you.

NORA's Life Gift Foundation:
910 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor
Memphis, TN 38187
Phone: (901) 682-4663
Toll Free: 1-877-390-4663
Fax: (901) 528-0194
Email:info@noraslifegift.org