Restoring Hope, Freedom and Mobility in Guatemala
Five Mary Free Bed team members recently returned from Guatemala, where they helped build prostheses for patients through the Range of Motion Project (ROMP). The nonprofit organization works to improve mobility and independence for people in underserved communities around the world. The team included CPO Ben Hogan, two prosthetic technicians, Arthur Pruiett and Alex Basford, […]
Amputees and Mary Free Bed Staff Team Up for Reeds Lake Triathlon
It was a summer of training for some Mary Free Bed staff and patients who teamed up for the fifth year to take on the Rhoades McKee Reeds Lake Triathlon. “This is the biggest group we’ve had, and honestly it’s what got me out here: having that teamwork, that team effort, that support,” said physical […]
A Flamboyance of Care: How a Flamingo Named Andes Became Grand Rapids’ Most Unexpected Rehab Story
Mary Free Bed + John Ball Zoo = One Wild Collaboration When you think of physical rehabilitation, you probably picture people. Patients recovering from surgery, injury or illness—maybe learning to walk again with a new prosthetic. What you probably don’t think of is a 14-year-old Chilean flamingo strutting around in a custom (pink) orthotic. But […]
What If a Bicycle Could Help Someone Walk Again? A Michigan Man Is Making It Happen
What if a bicycle could help someone walk again? That’s the question Ben Hogan, a prosthetist and former bike mechanic, set out to answer when he created a functional prosthetic leg made almost entirely from bicycle parts. His goal: to provide an open-source, low-cost solution for amputees in underserved communities around the world. The idea […]
City of Kentwood and Mary Free Bed Partner to Host Limb Loss Awareness 5K on April 27
The City of Kentwood and Mary Free Bed Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics are teaming up to recognize Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month with the Mary Free Bed Prosthetics Limb Loss Awareness 5K on Saturday, April 27. The all-ages, all-abilities event will kick off with packet pickup at 9 a.m. at Veterans Memorial […]
Hearts on Fire: One Couple’s Rescue Story & Journey to Recovery
It started with a spark. Carl Beintema knows how to play with fire. When it comes to welding, you’ve got to. Carl, 37, is a pipefitter from Allendale. On December 23, he was welding in his barn – something he’d done countless times before – when his grinder sparked an undetected gas leak. “The […]
Mary Free Bed Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics Goes Global with ROMP
For the second year in a row, members of the Mary Free Beds Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics team traveled from Michigan to Zacapa, Guatemala. Their mission? Restore hope and freedom … globally. The trip was made possible through philanthropic support from the Mary Free Bed Guild. Six O&P+B team members joined the Range of […]
R.J.’s Sub-Acute Recovery: Getting by with a Little Help from Friends, Faith & Family
In June, Robert R.J. Myler was going about his normal workday driving a recycling truck for Arrowaste. The summer heat caused him to lose consciousness at the wheel. Then he crashed into a semi-truck. R.J. suffered severe injuries. Thanks to the help of two good Samaritans – a nurse and a retired marine – he […]
Hope by design: Fellow amputees get creative and find friendship in the process
Bryan Donihue and Matt Schwab are friends who share an unwavering sense of hope and optimism. It’s a feeling that stems deeply from a condition they both know well. Bryan, a 50-year-old father of six, lives in Grand Rapids – among his many passions is game design. That is, he explained, “old school, around-the-table experiences.” […]
Mary Free Bed prosthetists restore hope and freedom globally
Thanks to a donation from the Mary Free Bed Guild, hope and freedom has been restored in another part of the globe. Three members of Mary Free Bed’s Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics team traveled to Zacapa, Guatemala to help people with amputations and limb differences maximize their mobility. Benjamin Hogan, Maria Lesniak and Jim […]
Team mindset helps Matthew overcome amputation, stroke and COVID-19
A few months ago, Matthew Stallman didn’t believe he’d be able to enjoy doing things he loved ever again. But with a little help and a lot of determination, Matthew set a goal to compete in a 5K and reached it far sooner than he thought possible. The 43-year-old Traverse City man developed a bone […]
Mary Free Bed welcomes new doctors beginning rehabilitation residency
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Four physicians focused on intensive rehabilitation for patients recovering from injuries and illnesses have begun post-graduate training in Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency. They were selected from a pool of more than 300 applicants. The three-year program has 12 residents in various stages of training. Mary Free […]
Following amputation, Art ‘picks himself up’ with help of Mary Free Bed at Covenant team
Art Bean was running new machinery during a normal day at work when a freak accident changed how the Fairgrove, MI man would do things the rest of his life. “(The machine) came down to rest on my foot between my steel toe and my ankle, and that crushed everything in between,” said Art, whose […]
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation experts affiliate with Beacon Health System
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Leaders from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital and Beacon Health System are pleased to announce a new collaboration. Under the terms of a professional services agreement, Mary Free Bed will manage the adult inpatient rehabilitation programs at Elkhart General Hospital in Elkhart and Memorial Hospital in South Bend. Beacon is the […]
Devyn turns sadness from stares into drive to help others with limb differences
Eight-year-old Devyn Whitney has a pink prosthetic leg decorated with pretty sugar skull owls that glow in the dark. It drew a lot of attention on a hot day last summer, when Devyn and her family visited an art fair in their hometown of St. Joseph. And not in a good way. “I was scared […]
‘Limit’ not in amputee Nathan Wolford’s vocabulary
During one of his first physical therapy sessions as an inpatient at Mary Free Bed, Nathan Wolford was tossing a weighted ball back and forth with his physical therapist. “That’s the day I first realized it was going to be OK,” said Nathan, 20, whose legs were amputated above the knee after a car crashed […]
Rehabilitation and technology improve patient experience
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is partnering with technology company eVideon to improve patient experience. The 167-inpatient bed rehabilitation hospital uses the eVideon PX platform to entertain, engage and educate patients during acute rehabilitation stays. The technology provides patients, families and visitors with live TV, movies on demand and relaxation videos. […]
With new prosthesis and encouragement from her Mary Free Bed team, Dottie Kuklewski ‘just keeps going’
Dottie Kuklewski developed an infection that forced doctors to amputate her leg. She went to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation and spent several weeks in the inpatient Amputee Program. Since then, Dottie used a wheelchair exclusively for mobility, hesitant to try a prosthesis. About two years later, Dottie needed a new shrinker for her residual limb. […]
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, […]
Center for Limb Differences celebrates 70th anniversary
In addition to celebrating the 125th anniversary of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital this year, its Center for Limb Differences is marking its 70th year of caring for young patients with congenital and acquired limb differences. When it was established in 1946, the center – then known as the Juvenile Amputee Training Program – was […]
Orthotics & Prosthetics relocates to upgraded facilities
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s orthotics and prosthetics patients will have access to enhanced services and experience improved patient care as the hospital’s Orthotics & Prosthetics Corporation moved into new and high-tech office space over the weekend. For the first time, the following four orthotics and prosthetics services will be housed […]
Amputee finds new love of life after rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed Hospital
Guest Blog by Rick McManus, Mary Free Bed alumni My name is Rick McManus and in the spring of 2012 I contracted a simple staff infection in my lower leg just above the ankle. What follows is the story of my incredible journey of resilience and recovery. After a brief trip to the hospital I was […]
Four new CARF accreditations for Mary Free Bed
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital’s amputation programs as well as the home and community services programs have been newly accredited by CARF International, the independent non-profit accrediting agency for rehabilitation hospitals. These 4 new accreditations boost the number of accredited rehabilitation programs to 11 for Mary Free Bed. Each one demonstrates a […]
In spite of limb differences, Brooklyn is just like any other kid
Meet Brooklyn Brooklyn is just like any other girl. She hangs out with her friends, and loves the color pink. In fact, she is proud to share that almost every outfit she wears has pink in it. Brooklyn is very active, and tries everything at least once. She enjoys karate, tumbling dance class, and […]
Expert Information: Amputation & Prosthesis
Dr. Benjamin Bruinsma has worked at Mary Free Bed for nearly 20 years. He’s the director of the amputee, orthopedic, and stroke programs. Therapy and prosthesis fitting A prosthesis is a man-made substitute for a missing body part. It helps with function and mobility, and may give you more confidence in your appearance. The time […]