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,” […]
Finding Cosmos in the Coffee Grounds After a Stroke
Bruce Najor, 39, prefers crisp communication. During his tenure as a speech and debate coach at Michigan State University, Bruce has continuously championed language and the written word. Following a stroke, Bruce spent 38 days at Adult Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Program at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During his stroke rehabilitation […]
Standing Tall, One Millimeter at a Time
Dion’s Determined Comeback from Stroke If you had asked Dion Eason in April 2024 whether he’d be standing in a wedding come October, he would’ve told you, “No way.” Just weeks earlier, Dion was navigating his recovery journey after a stroke—still in a wheelchair, relearning how to walk, and processing what it meant to live […]
Stroke Survivor Competes in Kalamazoo After Winning National Dog Competition
Monica Adair Loves her dogs, “My heart and Soul”. She also has a love for showing her two terriers in competitions. This summer, that love was taken away when she had a stroke. After her initial recovery, she transferred to Mary Free Bed for intensive stroke rehabilitation, with hopes of getting back in the ring […]
Destiny by His Side: Grand Rapids EMT is Getting His Groove Back after a Stroke
It’s hard not to smile when you’re in the company of Lavell McDaniel. He’s got the kind of laugh that makes others laugh harder. His positivity lights up the room. Ask anyone he knows, and they’ll tell you: Lavell knows how to boogie. “Lavell likes to do little dances,” explained his wife, Destiny. “He […]
Crossing Finish Lines Together: Hayley’s Making Strides in her Stroke Recovery
A single word can say it all. In Hayley’s case – it was two: “Alive” and “better.” Those were the words Hayley Zabik, of Kalamazoo, first communicated to her family in the ICU. Last February, 26-year-old Hayley’s parents got an early morning phone call. Hayley hadn’t arrived at work that day, which was unusual for […]
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 […]
Cousins encourage each other during recovery from strokes
Ruben Sauceda and his cousin, Heriberto (Joe), are both in their early 60s and have spent much of their lives together in the Holland area. “Joe and I grew up together. We went to school together. We did a lot of things together,” Ruben said. “Then, we had strokes together.” Ruben was at his job […]
Kevin celebrates son’s graduation after his own from rehabilitation
Kevin Grubbs survived COVID-19, an aortic aneurysm and three strokes, and with the help of rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed, Father’s Day was a special one for the Kalamazoo father of five. Last spring, the 52-year-old truck driver developed a cough that led to a COVID-19 diagnosis. During a chest x-ray, medical staff discovered Kevin […]
Co-workers who both had strokes reunite during rehabilitation
Mary Free Bed may not seem an obvious choice of location for a reunion of friends, but two co-workers found themselves going through rehabilitation together. Ricky Belton was getting ready for work at Ranir on March 16 when he started having balance issues. He went to work anyway, but his condition grew worse. Co-workers took […]
Fueled by faith and love, Bonnie focuses on recovery from stroke to attend daughter’s wedding
Bonnie Gordon was slalom skiing on Gull Lake near Hickory Corners, enjoying the company of her family, the water’s cool spray and the warmth of an August morning. Then she began to feel winded. “All of a sudden everything was blurry, and I was in the water,” Bonnie said. Family members got her onto the […]
Matt adopts ‘whatever it takes’ approach to rehabilitation following stroke
Update: Five months after graduating from Mary Free Bed’s Stroke Program, Matt Rorabaugh continues to make great strides in his recovery from a massive stroke. “I feel great, so fortunate,” Matt said. Building on his efforts in Mary Free Bed’s inpatient program, Matt’s continued with physical, occupational and speech-language therapies near his Morley home two-three […]
10-year-old Kalamazoo boy recovers from stroke
Thomas Hay is a typical 10-year-old boy. He loves football, his dog, Jasper, and competing with his big sister. But life became atypical very quickly one October afternoon. While at practice with his flag football team, Thomas collapsed during a passing drill. His father, Andrew, was helping coach the team and ran over to see […]
UPDATE: Young athlete recovers from stroke with help from Mary Free Bed
Updated October 22, 2019 Lauren Ziegler achieved her goal of running a half-marathon on October 20. She finished the half-marathon at the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon five minutes faster than she had planned. She also plans to continue running and run in more races in the future. Updated April 9, 2019 Lauren Ziegler […]
High-intensity gait training fuels stroke survivor’s recovery
Nick Snyder came to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation following a stroke that caused significant weakness on the left side of his body. Unable to stand without assistance, the 56-year-old Sheridan resident participated in high-intensity gait training to help him regain strength and endurance. When he graduated five weeks later, Nick was walking. High-intensity gait […]
Mary Free Bed stroke study aims to improve outcomes
Researchers and clinicians from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, Indiana University, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, are collaborating to provide greater independence and mobility for people who are recovering from stroke. A five-year, multi-center research study, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, is […]
‘Stroke Bloke’ Dale Lamps looks to future with optimism after rehabilitation
Guest blog: Dale Lamps is a graduate of both Mary Free Bed’s Inpatient and Outpatient Stroke Programs. These are my thoughts on the future. The future doesn’t come from nowhere. The future has its anchor in the past … My hemorrhagic stroke happened on Sept. 24, 2016. I had mowed the lawn that afternoon, and […]
Humor and Laughter Help Stroke Survivor Succeed in Rehabilitation
A sense of humor can be priceless when it comes to rehabilitation. Research shows laughter can reduce pain and ease recovery. And humor is exactly what Ann Mitchell needed to get her life back after suffering a stroke. As an English literature teacher at East Grand High School, Ann, now retired, was known for her […]
Woman determined to beat stroke trades wheelchair for cane
Every Wednesday morning, she’d pick up her grandkids, take them to school and stick around for the day as a volunteer at her granddaughter’s school. For Valentine’s Day, she organized crafts to entertain the students and give the teachers a break. She didn’t get to see the finished products on Valentine’s Day, though. Instead, she […]
Faith and rehabilitation help stroke patient make recovery
When John Boone awoke the morning of February 23, the day seemed ordinary enough. He was on a business trip in Jackson, Mich., and the only strange thing about his morning was he couldn’t lift his left leg over the hotel shower’s threshold. He ignored his uncooperative leg and went to work. His day went […]
Stroke survivor experiences faithful care
Father William Zink, the priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Marne, Mich., is in the business of caring for others. That changed on December 21, 2010, when Father Zink had a stroke. In a moment, the caregiver became the patient. After three days at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, Father Zink was transferred to Mary Free […]
Mary Free Bed patient just 24 when she had stroke, now healthy at 32
by Holly Grissom, stroke survivor I was a patient at Mary Free Bed in May 2002 after having brain surgery from a cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that ruptured in my brain stem on April 19, 2002. I was 24 years old. I had actually just had my birthday 2 weeks prior. All of a sudden, I […]
Stroke patient Sandra Boyce tells her story
The 51-year-old widow from Grand Rapids suffers from diabetes, so she thought that might be the problem. After she rested a bit, her arm went numb and her leg was tingling. “I called my sister and said that something was wrong, and I needed to go to the hospital,” Sandra recalls. Her sister brought her […]
Go Red For Women, Stroke Survivor Stories
The Mary Free Bed Guild is a sponsor of the West Michigan Go Red For Women® campaign. At the 2010 annual luncheon, Mary Free Bed unveiled this year’s public service announcement billboards to the public, sponsored by Mary Free Bed. Go Red For Women is a national awareness campaign sponsored by the American Heart Association […]