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 […]
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 […]
‘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 […]