Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Patient Stories
Rich Hamill
A high school senior, on his way up north for some skiing with his buddies, Rich Hamill never made it to the slopes. The van he was riding in hit black ice and ran into a bridge. All four passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Rich’s injuries left him paralyzed from the neck down.
After surgery on his neck, he was transferred to Mary Free Bed where he spent the next three months. Rich was young and very motivated to do everything he could to get out of the hospital in time for his high school graduation. He was supposed to be in the hospital for six months, but with determination and the help of his doctors, he made the goal of attending his graduation a reality.
Now, almost 15 years later, Rich is living a very active life working in sales and doing motivational speaking in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Ruthie Schmeichel
Born 16 weeks premature, tiny Ruthie Schmeichel had plenty of battles ahead of her. Yet she survived the traumas of the neonatal intensive care unit, including heart surgery, lung trouble and pneumonia. “She only weighed 1 1/2 pounds,” her mother Jenni says, “but she beat the odds.”
Unfortunately, a long bout with severe acid reflux caused feeding issues that began to threaten Ruthie’s progress. She developed abnormal swallowing that made eating painful and frustrating for her. After consulting with their pediatrician and several other doctors, her parents enrolled her in the Pediatric Feeding Program at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. “They all agreed it was the best place to go to get the expert help Ruthie needed,” says Jenni.
The toddler worked on an outpatient basis with therapists and a nutritionist to learn how to properly use her mouth and her tongue so she could eat appropriate foods and gain the weight she needed. “With preemies, it’s so important that they continue to gain weight to continue their progress,” explains Jenni.
The therapists taught Ruthie and her parents how to use tools to ‘wake up’ Ruthie’s mouth. They also taught her how to break up food with her teeth and to retrain her tongue as a muscle. Things that most children her age take for granted.
With all the hurdles she’s already faced in her life, Ruthie’s progress is further proof of her spirit. “Before coming to Mary Free Bed,” says Jenni, “she would scream when we put her in her high chair.” Today, like any two-year-old, Ruthie is actually happy to eat her macaroni and cheese.
Tom Weaver
Tom Weaver and a friend were cruising along the winding Blue Ridge Parkway on their motorcycles, enjoying the freedom of the road and the scenic mountain views. Then one of the twists in the road took him by surprise. “I missed the left-hand curve and my buddy saw me hit the guard rail,” says Tom.
Tom spent 11 days in a North Carolina trauma center and two more weeks in a Grand Rapids ICU before being transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. His injuries left him paralyzed from the waist down. Yet because of the support and expertise of the doctors, nurses and therapists in the Mary Free Bed Spinal Cord Injury Program, he still had hope.
“When I was first admitted,” he explains, “I had to be hydraulically lifted from the bed to a wheelchair for my therapy sessions.” Tom spent the next 2 1/2 months working hard to regain his independence. “The therapists and nurses have a feeling for how far they can push you. They would push to get me to do things on my own – which really helped my recovery.”
One of Tom’s biggest accomplishments while at Mary Free Bed was his completion of the driver rehabilitation program. He learned to drive a vehicle with special controls that he can operate with his hands. Today he drives his own modified van, getting around town with no assistance at all.
His rehabilitation has given Tom back his freedom. He’s even been able to return to his full-time job at Jenison High School, where he teaches mathematics – and optimism. “No one at Mary Free Bed ever told me, ‘You won’t be able to do that,’” he says.
Bob Tucker
I had heard about stroke, even read about them, but they were something that happened to people who were in their 70’s and 80’s, right? I had plenty of time before I needed to worry about that. I was 51 years old when I had my stroke. It is interesting how life gets in the way of plans.
Blessing number 1: On April 23, 2002 , I was home. My job as a Safety Coordinator required several overnight trips a year for training. The April 2002 training was canceled and having my schedule clear allowed me the opportunity to use vacation time to work on household projects. At 9 am I was out working on a boardwalk between my house and pole barn. I fell down and blanked out. I got myself up and every thing was working ok except for my right arm. I managed to get into the pole barn turn off the radio, put my tools away and shut the door. From the pole barn I walked to the entryway of the house where I fell down again. I could not figure out how to use my cell phone to call someone for help nor could I stand up. I propped myself up against the chest freezer and there I sat. No one was going to be home until 6:00 pm.
Blessing number 2: My son and I planned a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan the upcoming weekend. He was test-driving a car at 10 am and he stopped by the house to talk to me about the trip. He found me sitting in the back room and helped me into the house. We changed my shoes, he helped me into the truck and brought me to the hospital. My wife met us at the hospital. I had had a minor stroke. The doctor seemed hopeful that with minimal therapy, I would be out and about in no time.
Blessing number 3: Being at the hospital saved my life. I was not given a “clot buster” shot, which the usual form of treatment for stroke victims, but an I-V had been started with blood thinner as part of the medication. The doctor decided at the last minute that the time frame to give the “clot buster” injection had passed. While I was talking with my family, I had a major stroke. This stroke wiped me out for four days. I do not remember talking to people, but family and friends tell me that I would talk and tell them what happened. Later, I was told that if I had been given the clot buster, I would have died.
On the sixth day I was transferred to Mary Free Bed. I spent 45 days trying to recover all that had been lost. I could not walk, I could not form sentences with out a lot of space between words, and I could not move or feel the right side of my body. I could not take care of my personal needs. I also suffered from aphasia. I would recognize you but could not tell you your name even if you were a family member or my best friend.
When I first arrived at Mary Free Bed I thought that I was ok and I could get up and walk. I learned the hard way – by falling out of my wheelchair trying to get to my bed unsupervised. That was when I started to realize what a stroke really does to your body. It took me 4 weeks before I began to retain what the therapists were teaching me so I could do it on my own.
Blessing number 4: When it was time for speech therapy, my therapist at Mary Free Bed was excited to hear that I loved singing. I have always loved to sing. When I was in elementary school, I got up in front of my church and sang a solo. She said that people who sing find it easier to regain speech functions.
The aphasia does not affect my singing. This is one area that is doing ok. Once the music starts the words fall into place. My voice is as clear and strong as it was before the stroke. Even the new songs, with a lot of practice, start to stick in my memory.
I made slow but steady progress. When I left Mary Free Bed, June 2002, I was able to walk with a quad cane, but had to sit down to take a shower.
Blessing number 5: In March of 2003, I was approaching the one-year anniversary of my stroke. I was having a rough day getting my speech and home exercises to work right, so I took a break. While I was resting, I had a stroke related seizure. I was not alone; again no one would have been home until 6 pm. My wife had the day off of work. I was brought to the hospital and was told that I had a Grand Mal seizure. In addition to an aspirin every day, I would now need to take seizure medication.
Through a lot of work and determination, both on my own and with help from others, I have come a long way since my stroke in April, 2002. As I look back on the first year of recovery here is how far I have come…I am now able to walk up to a mile with out a cane, it takes me a while but I do it. I stand to take a shower. I still have little to no feeling in my right hand and leg. Things are working because the left side is doing most of the work. I was right handed so I had to learn to write left-handed, which is going surprisingly well. One of my goals was to go hunting in the fall of 2002. Through therapy and home exercises I was able to accomplish that goal. Another one of my goals was to walk in the Memorial Day Parade with the rest of the Vietnam veterans as I have done in the years before my stroke. With lots of encouragement from my family and help from a family friend and a challenge from my older brother—I walked the parade route, about 8/10ths of a mile, without my cane.
My prognosis – whatever happens, happens. The more I do on my own the better I become, and I am determined to not let a stroke keep me down.
I need to work on walking, reading lengthy pieces of work and writing.I don’t think that I would mind not being able to walk as fast as others so much if I did not have such a problem with the reading and writing.
Every couple of weeks I can do something new or something more and I look forward to the day that I can look back and know that all the hard work and the determination of the therapists and myself paid off.
Kyle Tobaison
Kyle Tobaison was driving home from a concert on a February evening. No one knows if bad weather or falling asleep at the wheel was the cause, but his car rolled over twice and, because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, Kyle was thrown out into the road. “A truck driver found me lying there,” says Kyle.
Or so he was told. The thing is, Kyle can’t remember anything about his car accident. He also can’t remember spending 13 days in critical ICU, 8 of them in a coma due to blood in his brain. What he can remember is waking up at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.
Kyle’s family chose to have him admitted to the Brain Injury Program because they knew he’d receive the most comprehensive care available in the region. “I couldn’t walk when I was admitted,” he explains. “And I had a lot of memory problems.” The rehabilitation team worked with Kyle to provide specialized care that focused on helping him regain his speech and mental functions as well as his mobility.
Although recovering from a traumatic accident requires a lot of hard work and commitment from the patient, “the nursing staff and therapists made the experience a lot of fun,” says Kyle. “I was totally motivated.” So motivated that he was released a month later to continue his treatment on an outpatient basis.
Today Kyle is ready to go back to work. “They tell you that someone who suffered the injuries that I did can expect to return to work in a year and a half,” he says. “It’s only been ten months.” Thanks to the dedicated experts at Mary Free Bed, Kyle’s recovering faster than anyone ever imagined.
Matt Clements (2005)
Matt sustained injuries to his spinal cord in June 2005. Though he missed his July wedding, it was rescheduled for that December. He reports that “this time the wedding went great, and now my wife, Kristin, and I are happily married.”
Matt began playing wheelchair tennis last March and fell in love with the sport. “I never thought it was possible until I tried it, and since then I have never missed a practice,” Matt said. “I competed in two tournaments in 2006. Going out to check out the sport was one of the best decisions I have made in my life!”
Matt also spends time volunteering at the Youth Christ Donation Center in Holland where he sets up and runs their Internet auctions. The organization sells most everything people donate either at www.biddingatauction.com, which is located in Grand Rapids, or on eBay. Matt helped the center turn in close to $100,000 in 2006; he plans to help raise more for Youth for Christ of Ottawa and Allegan counties in 2007.
“I still drive a pickup, and don't want to imagine having to drive anything else,” Matt states. “I am looking to go back to school and finish my degree to pursue a well-paying job. I try to live life with no regrets. My accident may have been one small setback, but now looking ahead I believe I am going to be going places above and beyond where I would have been if it had never happened. My encouragement to others: Love life and live it!”
Curt Bender (1989)
Curt has been playing wheelchair tennis since 1992. As a player for the Men’s A Division, he holds a current United States Tennis Association (USTA) ranking in the top 20 of the division. Curt sustained his spinal cord injury 17 years ago in a motor vehicle accident and became involved with wheelchair tennis when a friend took him to a Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association (GRWSA) practice 14 years ago. All it took was that one practice – he was hooked!
Curt loves the physical activity of the sport, and he really enjoys socializing with other fellow wheelchair athletes, both on tour and locally through GRWSA. He also participates locally in the one-up/one-down doubles league that made USTA history last winter as the nation’s first official league. Curt enjoys playing with able-bodied partners in local competitions without having to travel out of state to play.
Curt has enjoyed watching the game of wheelchair tennis grow throughout the world and even contributes to its popularity. Last year, Curt was named vice chair on the USTA Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Committee, which promotes the growth of wheelchair tennis in the midwest states and helps others start grassroots programs. He also was recently selected to serve on the USTA national committee.
When Curt is not on the court, he works as an electrical engineer at Tennant Company in Holland and is a graduate of Ferris State University. Curt and his wife, Lynn, are actively involved in the GRWSA wheelchair tennis program. Lynn is the head coach and
tournament director for the Midwest Wheelchair Tennis Tournament. They have a son, Jaden, who is 3 years old.
Rex Kessler (2000)
Rex expanded his shop (Kessler Woodworking) to more than 4,500 square feet. Rex started his own woodworking business in 2002 after “getting tired of sitting around.”
“It was harder on me to sit and do nothing than to get moving,” Rex said. Now, Rex spends his days in his shop, working on everything from custom hardwood flooring to wood fireplaces to custom cabinetry. “Motivation, moving, and trying are the keys, ”Rex states. “I never gave up trying.”
Breck Lonier (1999)
Breck, now 44, sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury after falling from a tree stand. Breck reports he was devastated – physically, emotionally, in just about every way possible. During two months of treatment at Mary Free Bed, however, his outlook gradually began to shift.
“At first, I thought of all the things I couldn’t do,” said Breck, a manufacturing manager in Lansing. “But things started to change for me once I decided to focus on what I wanted to do – and resolved to figure out a different way to make them happen.” His first order of business was to start hunting again. “Bow hunting is a sport I’m passionate about,” Breck said. “I grew up in the country and love the outdoors. I was determined to find a way to continue enjoying the sport I’ve loved since I was 12.”
Using equal doses of determination and creativity, Breck drew on his knowledge of steel fabrication to adapt old hunting techniques to his new circumstances. First, he crafted a custom bow mount for his wheelchair. Next, he designed a 48-square-foot insulated hunting shanty with a wheelchair ramp. Finally, Breck converted a golf cart that could navigate the rough terrain back and forth between his shanty and his truck. The hunting shanty was Breck’s real breakthrough. He ran pulleys to windows all around so he could open any of them from his wheelchair with minimal movement and sound. Breck eventually built shanties in his two favorite hunting spots – one near Ionia, another
in Michigan’s thumb region.
“The shanties have worked so well that I’ve even built them for family members who
aren’t in a wheelchair, ”Breck said. Following his two months at Mary Free Bed and another two months of rehabilitation at home, Breck drove himself back to his job as manager for fabrication at Roberts Sinto, a maker of foundry machinery in Lansing.He also stays active mentoring other hunting accident survivors at Mary Free Bed, creating wood-burning art in the winter, and raising his 12-year-old son. Breck’s educational video, Wait Until Tomorrow, shows how he performs various activities of daily living, and was done in collaboration with Western Michigan University occupational therapy students and Mary Free Bed’s Spinal Cord Injury Program. The video is regularly used as a teaching tool by MFB therapists with newly-injured patients.
“After the accident, life was pretty depressing,” Breck admits. “On bad days, I’d tell myself ‘just wait until tomorrow.’ You know what I learned? Inevitably, things really did look a little better by the next day.”