Posted on August 30, 2017

East Michigan resident chooses Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation after double amputation

UPDATE: Since Ken graduated from the inpatient Amputee Program, he’s returned to Mary Free Bed for outpatient therapy. His rehabilitation includes recreational therapy, which caters to each patient’s interests to improve their physical, social and emotional well-being, and to get them back to doing what they love. In Ken’s case, that’s being outside.

Rachel Morse, Ken’s recreational therapist, arranged for an ice fishing expedition on the Saginaw Bay near Ken’s home. The outing was documented by Michigan Out-of-Doors, a television show that features outdoor-sports enthusiasts. The story aired on PBS stations across Michigan and in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Watch it here.


Ken Baughman of Gaines, Mich., was seriously injured at work when two steel beams fell, trapping him. Surgeons at Hurley Medical Center in Flint were forced to amputate both of Ken’s legs. While he recuperated at Hurley, Ken and his wife, Lisa, were visited by a Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital liaison, who arranged for them to speak virtually with a physiatrist at the Grand Rapids campus. That’s when they decided to Ask for Mary.

Ken, 52, came to Mary Free Bed on Aug. 11, two weeks after the accident, to begin his rehabilitation journey.

“There’s nothing that Ken did before that he’s not going to be able to do,” Lisa said.

In this video, Ken, Lisa and their Mary Free Bed team share how Ken is working to regain his independence.

“Travel doesn’t matter at all when it comes to care,” Ken said. “Get the best.”