Transplant Family Decides It’s the Inn Thing to Do

--Charles and Marilyn Fiske, who lived in a hospital lounge for a while when their daughter, Jamie, underwent a liver transplant, have opened an inn in Brookline, Mass., to help other families of young transplant patients. The Family Inn, located near area hospitals, has room for 10 families who will be charged $10 per night. “The child who is ill is pretty well taken care of,” Charles Fiske said. “It’s the rest of the family that can’t understand why it’s going on. . . . If they can come some place, put their feet up and have their families come on weekends, it doesn’t make it go away but it just puts it in perspective.” In 1982, Charles Fiske made a televised appeal at a New York pediatricians’ convention for help in finding a donor liver for his daughter. Days later an appropriate donor was found and Jamie underwent surgery in Minneapolis. The Fiskes, from Bridgewater, Mass., spent three months in Minnesota. During the first week, they camped out in the hospital waiting room. Later, Mrs. Fiske found a boarding house and her husband visited on weekends. Jamie, who is 6 1/2, just finished kindergarten. Two years ago, with a down payment donated by Boston Red Sox owner Jean R. Yawkey, the Fiskes bought a 21-room home and then raised about $1.2 million to renovate and run the inn.

--It’s no laughing matter that Jonathan Winters, who was an art student in his pre-comedy days, is coming out with a coffee-table book featuring 60 of his paintings. The book, “Hang Ups,” is due in October from Random House. Each painting is accompanied by a Winters commentary. In other book news, Britain’s Duchess of York has signed a contract to write two children’s books about a helicopter named Budgie, Simon & Schuster announced. The 28-year-old former Sarah Ferguson is married to Prince Andrew. Their first child is due in August. The books are to be published in August, 1989.

--Meanwhile, in Chur, Switzerland, investigators dropped a criminal inquiry and cleared another member of Britain’s royal family, Prince Charles, of personal fault in a March 10 avalanche that killed one of his friends and injured another. The inquiry’s outcome ran counter to speculation in British tabloids that Charles might face charges. Officials said the entire party of six, who skied outside official marked runs, collectively caused the avalanche above the Klosters resort. Investigators said the prince cooperated fully.