Cerebral palsy patient shares MFB experience
In December 2008, Mary underwent major surgery at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. During the eight-and-a-half hour operation, six of the bones in Mary’s legs were broken so that they could be repositioned using steel plates, releasing muscles and tendons. After spending four days in the hospital, Mary was sent home with her legs in casts. […]
“I was dropped off in heaven, and surrounded by angels.”
On a crisp Saturday in February 2009, 67-year-old Phil Stefanich gathered with friends at a cottage in Grayling to go cross-country skiing. “I was just skiing along, enjoying the scenery, when my skis got away from me,” Phil says. “I flipped up into the air, came down flat on my back and my head whiplashed.” […]
Patient recovering from gunshot wound recognized for efforts
By Stephanie Sundheimer Landon Whitaker has a lot to be happy about. He recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. where President Obama congratulated the boy for his courage, willpower, and determination. But meeting the president is likely second on Landon’s list of things to be happy about. Landon, just 12 years old, was […]
MFB patient, Pat Smith: “I just want to talk!”
by Jess Venlet On the first day of speech therapy at Mary Free Bed, Pat Smith knew her life would never be the same. Her speech therapist held picture cards in front of her, and asked her where she should go at night when she was tired. One of the pictures was of a bed, […]
Staying positive with Maria Penland
by Jess Venlet Mary Free Bed launched a new advertising campaign June 1. This post is the first in a series of the rehabilitation and recovery stories of all the real Mary Free Bed patients featured in our new commercials and billboards. Just moments after I say, “Thank you, Maria. Bye.” and end our phone […]
Junior Pacers Wheelchair Basketball—2009 Midwest Conference Champs
by Jess Venlet I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at Jenison High School to watch wheelchair basketball for the first time. I thought that the game would be pretty laid back. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The games were intense, and the players competitive. I realized my mistake quickly. I had […]
The earlier torticollis is treated, the better
Jasper Jacobson of Zeeland was born premature. After an extended stays in a neonatal unit his parents noticed Jasper preferred to have his head turned in a certain direction, which caused him to develop a flat spot on his head from lying in the same position for so long. Their pediatrician suggested Jasper’s parents take him to Mary Free Bed […]
“The people around me give me strength”
Kyle Dockery, 15, had a strange tingling sensation one afternoon in November 2009 at his high school wrestling practice. He told his coach he wasn’t feeling well, complaining of tingling limbs and an aching head. Suddenly, Kyle collapsed. Doctors in Lansing suspected a spinal stroke. Twelve days after his injury Kyle’s mother, Shervonda Dockery, decided to have Kyle transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation […]
Day at the playground ends in life-changing spinal cord injury
On a beautiful May day in 2009, Kate Clark and her 4-year-old Gwyneth packed a lunch and went to Kate’s son William’s school. While on the playground playing tag with her children and their schoolmates, a student standing on top of the slide jumped and landed on Kate. The boy’s elbow was shattered; Kate was paralyzed from the neck down. “I remember my sweet daughter […]
Scott Rigsby, Double-Amputee Ironman
Scott Rigsby, the first double-leg amputee athlete to finish the grueling 140-mile Ford Ironman Marathon. Scott came to Grand Rapids in March to speak to the audience about his life, his book “UnThinkable,” and the importance of an active lifestyle. The event, “No Finish Line in Site,” was sponsored by Mary Free Bed, Gazelle Sports and […]
You’re Invited: Dedication Ceremony for “Rain,” 2009 ArtPrize Entry
On Monday, April 12, the Mary Free Bed Guild will hold a dedication ceremony for the sculpture Rain by artist Anna Donahue. The Guild bought and commissioned the piece to be bronzed after exhibiting it at the hospital for ArtPrize 2009. Artist Anna Donahue and her family have ties that run deep with both art and […]
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital capital campaign exceeds goal
Grand Rapids, Mich. — Mary Free Bed’s “Join the Movement” capital campaign, the largest in the hospital’s 125-year history, has exceeded its $16 million goal by nearly $1 million. The campaign supports the $66.4 million expansion and renovation project that includes the West Building, making Mary Free Bed the fifth-largest freestanding rehabilitation hospital in the […]