Mary Free Bed Kids Earns Top Rankings in Pediatric Therapy
Families across West Michigan have recognized Mary Free Bed Kids as a leader in pediatric therapy, ranking its teams among the best in the 2026 GR Kids Family Care Providers Guide. Mary Free Bed Kids earned top honors across all three outpatient therapy disciplines, with its physical, occupational and speech-language therapy teams placing in the […]
Pediatric Stroke Recovery at Mary Free Bed: Amelia’s Story
A stroke is something most people associate with adults. But for one West Michigan family, it arrived without warning—on a school field trip, in the middle of an ordinary day. Cari Dennany was running errands when her phone rang. On the other end was her 8-year-old daughter’s teacher. “She told me Amelia had fallen down,” […]
A Hero’s Homecoming: Patient Returns as New Comic Book Alter Ego
The flu bug doesn’t stand a chance against his arch nemesis, “Kaden Blaze”! The superhero character, inspired by former Mary Free Bed Kids patient Kaden Stevenson, made an exciting appearance at the hospital’s Grand Rapids Campus on December 2. Three years ago, during Christmas break, Kaden’s mom, Michele Stevenson, noticed the 7-year-old’s health was getting progressively worse. […]
Tiny Trailblazer: Little Miss Wheelchair Michigan Becomes Inaugural National Titleholder
Little Miss Wheelchair Michigan, Dahlia Swanson, made history Wednesday afternoon, becoming the first person to hold the title of Little Miss Wheelchair America. The 4-year-old was crowned in front of her family, friends and therapists at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, taking on this brand-new role and title within the Ms. Wheelchair America organization. “Dahlia was able to […]
Curve Appeal: 80-Foot Arch Installed Over Wealthy Street at Mary Free Bed
The new children’s rehabilitation hospital at Mary Free Bed is getting some curve appeal. This week, an 80-foot-tall arch was installed over Wealthy Street. This 126,000-pound arch spans 100 feet, stretching over the skywalk connecting Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital and Mary Free Bed. The steel arch was prefabricated in six sections, each roughly 60 […]
Adorable Baby Rocks Pink Helmet and Steals the Spotlight at the US Open
It’s a story her family will tell for the rest of her life, and thanks in part to the Mary Free Bed Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics team, her family has a permanent keepsake to go along with it. When Katerina Buck first learned that her daughter Stella would need a cranial remolding helmet to […]
A Crowning Moment in Kids’ Rehabilitation: Crowning Ceremony for Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital
The crowning ceremony marked a significant milestone in the construction of Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. The final steel beam was placed to complete the steel framework of Michigan’s first children’s rehabilitation hospital. It will be the country’s ninth freestanding children’s rehabilitation hospital once it’s completed in fall of 2026. This topping off ceremony is […]
Mary Free Bed Graduate Featured on NBC Nightly News
A recent pediatric graduate of Mary Free Bed was featured on the NBC Nightly News this weekend. Mason Madden and his parents were interviewed by NBC News for their weekly segment, “There’s Good News Tonight.” Mason spent months at Mary Free Bed in rehabilitation after doctors discovered and removed a tumor on his spine. For […]
Young Patients Score Big During Grand Rapids Griffins Visit to Mary Free Bed
Two Grand Rapids Griffins players took a break from practice to visit kids at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. The hockey pros joined in the physical therapy sessions for the patients practicing passing and shooting the puck. First year pro, Gabriel Seger, Forward #11, from Sweden, was joined by six year pro, Joe Snively, #21 […]
Mary Free Bed Kids Announced as Beneficiary of Michigan International Auto Show Charity Gala
The Michigan International Auto Show and Grand Rapids New Car Dealers Association (GRNCDA) have named Mary Free Bed as this year’s beneficiary of the newly named Cars for Kids Gala, an exclusive preview of this longstanding automotive event on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, beginning at 6 pm, at DeVos Place. “I am excited to share […]
Jack’s Journey: Calling on Superheroes of Integrated Care
At first glance, it might appear as though 4-year-old Jack Lohman is playing an imaginary game with his superhero figurines – but this little boy is on a mission. He’s channeling his inner Batman on the journey of a lifetime. At 3 years old, Jack was diagnosed with hemimegaloencephaly, a rare condition that causes part […]
Warrior Mac: Thriving Against the Odds with Cerebral Palsy
When McKay Mortier, affectionately known as “Mac,” entered the world in December 2015, his parents, Jessica and Justin Mortier, braced for a future that would come with uncertainties. A Fighter from the Start: Mac’s Challenging Beginnings Born via an emergency C-section, Mac was unresponsive. But from his very first breath, he was a warrior. […]
A New Era for Michigan’s Kids: Announcing Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital
It’s a significant milestone for our community as we proudly unveil the name for Michigan’s first pediatric rehabilitation hospital at Mary Free Bed: Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital. The name not only represents state-of-the-art rehabilitation care but also celebrates the continuing legacy of one of our community’s most devoted philanthropists, Joan Secchia. The Secchia family’s […]
Stayin’ Alive: Pastor Uses CPR to Save Teen’s Life
Rafe Oard, 17, of Gladwin, Michigan, is an active teenager with a great sense of humor. You’re likely to find him outdoors, working on cars with his grandpa, or caring for his pheasants and quails. Last February, Rafe headed to the weekly open gymnasium hour at his church. He often joined members of the community […]
Tough Like a Monster Truck: Kaden Recovers After Double Amputation
“He’s my everything,” said Michele Stevenson, about her son, Kaden. When he started to get sick before Christmas, she didn’t think it was serious at first. But after a few days she knew something was wrong. As 7-year-old Kaden’s health grew getting progressively worse. Michele, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, rushed him to the emergency […]
International Design Firm Selected for New Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids
The award-winning design firm SmithGroup has been chosen to design Michigan’s first children’s rehabilitation hospital. The facility will be constructed on the Grand Rapids campus of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. SmithGroup has been honored with over 400 design awards in the past five years, and ranked 5th in Building Design + Construction’s Top Architecture/Engineering […]
Acts of Kindness: Brooklyn Zylstra Gives Back in a Big Way
Brooklyn Zylstra understands the assignment. But her project isn’t like that of many middle schoolers her age. This 13-year-old has been giving back to the Grand Rapids community in a very unique way. Brooklyn, an 8th grader at KPS Pinewood Middle School, has taken it upon herself to bring joy to kids who are on […]
Timmy Fanco Defies the Odds Following Car Crash
To say the Fancos are fighters is an understatement. On June 10, 2022, Liz Fanco of Alto, MI, received a phone call. Her children, Anna and Timmy, had just been in a broadside collision. Anna, 17, was driving and suffered a collapsed lung, broken leg and several broken ribs. Her younger brother, Timmy, 11 at […]
Mary Free Bed Brings Halloween to the Hospital for Patients and Families
This year’s Halloween event Mary Free Bed was an eerie-sistable success! The Mary Free Bed Kids inpatient team transformed the hospital’s outdoor therapy garden into the “Mary Cemetery.” The haunted “scare-apy” garden was filled with smiles and screams to those who dared to enter. In true trunk-or-treat style, staff and community members ‘dressed up’ over […]
Going the Distance for Baby Rowan
Last August, at nearly 27 weeks gestation, the Bouman twins were born in Marquette, Michigan. Baby Rowan weighed just 1 pound 13 ounces. Her brother Noah, although bigger and deemed healthier, died unexpectedly from sepsis when he was only 8 days old. During her early time in the hospital, little Rowan experienced severe bleeding on […]
Governor Announces a Health Care First for Michigan Children
Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced plans to build the state’s first children’s rehabilitation hospital. Through a joint operating agreement, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital and Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital are partnering to bring a shared vision to life in the thriving health care landscape of Grand Rapids. The new hospital will be built […]
Breathing Easier: Hannah Blumka Makes a Remarkable COVID-19 Recovery
Last December, 17-year-old Hannah Blumka arrived at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital fighting for her life. Before contracting COVID-19, Hannah was a healthy, lively teenage girl. The infection quickly and unexpectedly took a toll on every system in her body. Within a day of arrival at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, she was placed on life-support – […]
Mary Free Bed Kids Celebrate Diversity Month in the Kitchen
In recognition of Diversity Month, patients at Mary Free Bed Kids celebrated with a culinary twist! All month long, six teenagers who are patients at Mary Free Bed’s pediatric inpatient program in Grand Rapids along with their parents and staff, celebrated different heritages in the Mary Free Bed therapy kitchen. Each week, the creative team […]
Chronic Pain Program helps Selena – and kids like her – find relief
Selena Jacinto is looking forward to graduating from high school this spring and gearing up for college in the fall. A few months ago, the 17-year-old’s life goals seemed out of reach. Plagued by disabling headaches and body pain for years, Selena found it difficult to attend school, exercise or enjoy hobbies. Chronic pain was […]
Young plane crash survivor shares her rehabilitation journey
Laney Perdue, the sole survivor of a plane crash in northern Michigan last year, is telling her emotional story to a national audience. On Nov. 13, the 11-year-old and her father, Mike, were flying to Beaver Island – her family’s favorite vacation spot – when the commuter plane crashed, killing everyone on board except, miraculously, […]
Well-known athlete, motivational speaker Johnny Agar giving back to Mary Free Bed
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Johnny Agar has cerebral palsy, but he’s never let it define him. The 27-year-old Rockford man is an Ironman athlete admired by Olympians and professional athletes, a brand ambassador, motivational speaker and, now, an author. He’s also a Mary Free Bed graduate. In his new book “The Impossible Mile,” which he […]
Spectrum Health and Mary Free Bed announce enhanced pediatric care collaboration
Grand Rapids, Mich., September 29, 2021 – Spectrum Health and Mary Free Bed leaders today announced an enhanced collaboration aimed at increasing access to excellent pediatric acute inpatient rehabilitation. Through a Joint Operating Agreement, Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital will operate an acute pediatric inpatient rehabilitation unit at […]
Grant helps Mary Free Bed pediatric patients feel more at home
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Little things can make a big difference for hospitalized kids and their families. Mary Free Bed Kids, the rehabilitation hospital’s pediatric unit, is ensuring patients of color have what they need to feel supported and comfortable during their stay. Thanks to a grant from the Mary Free Bed Guild Foundation, participating […]
Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp is back in action
ALLENDALE, Mich. – After a year off due to COVID-19, campers are back and ready to play. Over 40 kids with disabilities are attending Mary Free Bed’s Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp. All week, participants from the ages of 7 – 18 will try sports such as lacrosse, kayaking and sled hockey and will make friends […]
Playground supports therapy disguised as play for children of all abilities
When Mary’s Therapy Playground was created in 2018, the outdoor space provided a fun, healing space for our youngest patients to grow. Three years later, the playground has grown, too! The growth occurred as part of Mary Free Bed’s decision to build its own kitchen to better serve the nutritional needs of patients. Construction of […]