Dreams, triumphs and rugby: Colin Sullivan lives life to the fullest
For Colin Sullivan, a life-long resident of West Michigan, December 19, 1999, will always be remembered as the day in which his life changed forever. Early that morning, around 5 am, Colin drove from East Lansing to his home in Grand Rapids, an 80-mile journey he had taken countless times in the past as a […]
Restoring hope, sharing beauty
Often the road to hope and recovery is a maze with twists and turns that move forward then backward. Vern Criner has been navigating his maze for 4 years. Vern has suffered setbacks, surgeries and despair. But, his times at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have provided steps forward toward hope. Vern was a florist […]
After gunshot wound, Erica uses strength and determination to return to independence
“16 years ago today, my life changed forever…it was a miracle that the bullet didn’t hit any major arteries…I have my down times bc being a C5 quadriplegic isn’t easy but 3 things get me through everyday, my faith, my friends, n my family.” – Erica Byers Pelton’s Facebook page, March 1 Erica Byers Pelton […]
Resilient Teenager Overcomes Challenges of Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis
At first glance, Kelsey Winslow is just like any other 18-year-old high school student. She loves to meet new people, hang out with friends and spend time with relatives. More often than not, Kelsey has her phone in hand, texting with friends. Kelsey also can’t wait to attend her upcoming senior prom. In fact, dancing is […]
Baclofen Pump and Therapists Help Taylor Make a Comeback After Brain Hemorrhage
It’s been 11 years since 19-year-old Taylor Cunningham suffered an AVM rupture, which caused a hemorrhage in her brain and left Taylor unable to walk. Just a young girl at the time, Taylor had to undergo several surgeries. Yet it was the severe spasticity that caused Taylor the most pain, a constant presence in her […]
Life no longer on hold for mom and daughter after receiving rehabilitation treatment for chronic headaches
Headaches and migraines run in Erin’s family, so it was no surprise when her daughter began to complain of headaches. When Rachel started missing school and had used up Erin’s bag of tricks for relief, it was time to get Rachel some expert help. Rachel was referred to The Pain Center at Mary Free Bed […]
Retired Nurse Recovers from Devastating Car Accident
As a retired hospice and medical ICU nurse, as well as a past manager of a neurological outpatient center, Debbie Zima, a native of Chicago, helped countless patients overcome a range of illnesses, injuries, and other health-related setbacks throughout her 30-year-long career. But, she likely never imagined that she would one day become a patient […]
Spinal Cord Injury Patient Gets Back on the Road
After suffering a spinal cord injury from a snowmobile accident, Dan Bolhouse closed the door to negativity. Dan had been snowmobiling since he was a child. While on a trip with his buddies in 1999, he took an unexpected sharp turn too fast and crashed straight into a tree. He devastatingly injured the T7 vertebrae […]
Mom Suffers Multiple Traumas and Spinal Cord Injury, Returns to The Things She Loves
by Coertney Vanderhill My sisters and I walked into the hospital room just after 4 am. My mom lay still and flat with tubes coming out of her chest, draining blood from her lungs into bags that were hung around her hospital bed. Despite all the serious injuries my mom sustained, I most vividly remember […]
Athlete returns to competition after spinal cord injury
by Beth Redford After a few days, I have recovered from playing in the recent Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association (GRWSA) Tennis Fundraising Tournament at Ramblewood in Grand Rapids. The weekend started with picking up 3 cases of tennis balls for tournament director and wheelchair tennis head coach, Lynn Bender, and delivering them to Ramblewood. After […]
Motorcycle Accident Victim Full of Hope and Optimism throughout Recovery
Matthew Sexton was riding his motorcycle on his way to work early one morning. He was cruising down a two-lane road when he noticed an SUV heading straight toward him. As he veered to the shoulder to avoid an accident, the SUV swerved in the same direction and hit Matthew head on. Matthew flew through […]
Gravely injured in auto accident, patient depends on husband to choose rehabilitation facility
It was the click she didn’t hear that turned Tammy Helton’s life upside down. Last July 9, Tammy hopped into her Jeep to head to the home in Twin Lakes that she shared with her husband, Mike, and the youngest of their 3 children. The music was cranked, and Tammy doesn’t remember hearing the click of […]
Baclofen pump helps two boys with severe spasticity
Thirteen-year-old Kordell Rodrigues has cerebral palsy. Seven years ago, he suffered from such severe spasticity that his body was like a stiff board, according to his grandmother, Debra Rodrigues. Doctors recommended that Kordell have a baclofen pump surgically implanted into his abdomen to alleviate his spasticity. Debra said the decision to get the baclofen pump […]
Overcoming barriers: Patient with MS faces challenges and thrives
As a full-time social worker, Nicky Lewis has always placed the interests of others well before her own, grateful for the opportunity to regularly improve her patients’ lives. Ironically, when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) this past April, she suddenly became a patient herself. (MS is an autoimmune disease in which the myelin sheaths that […]
5-year-old overcomes eating struggles
by Molly Cartwright Like many kids, Cerelle is a bit of a picky eater. She loves to eat cake and ice cream, but won’t eat salty foods, such as French fries. For Lynn and Pat Pohl, Cerelle’s parents, the fact she wants to eat at all is something to celebrate. For the past 4 years […]
Sustained by his faith, avid hunter recovers from tree stand fall
by Chris Lewis As a Michigan native, Geoff Newmyer, along with a majority of his friends and family members, has been actively hunting since he was a child. “My dad and uncles were avid hunters,” Geoff said. “As I grew up, I always looked forward to hunting with my dad.” Geoff has been hunting on […]
Rebuilding from the ground up
by Amanda Larsen A small businessman in Kalamazoo for 34 years, Jeff Block, ended a long day of work on a rainy July evening with the routine job of emptying his truck bed of the day’s debris. Jeff heaved the trash into the dumpster and slipped. He lost his footing and fell off the truck. […]
Passion, Optimism, Recovery: Hunter Shares Story of Tree Stand Fall
by Chris Lewis For as long as he can remember, Gale Lynch has been passionate about the outdoors – and hunting. At the age of 8 he began to accompany his father during fall and winter deer hunts, as the two regularly searched for trophy bucks. He soon found himself shooting at tin cans with a […]
Sierra Miller Wins Gold at USCA National Event
by Stephanie Millis Sierra Miller won the gold medal in the kayak event at the United States Canoe Association (USCA) Nationals, held in Newaygo, on August 9. Sierra, 15, lost her leg in a lawn mower accident when she was 7 years old. Initially, doctors told Sierra’s parents that even though Sierra’s leg would be […]
Connection of Inclusion: Mary Free Bed partners with artists from Community Inclusive Recreation for ArtPrize® 2011
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital takes its participation with ArtPrize seriously. For the third year running, Mary Free Bed has sought artists with ties to the hospital’s mission of restoring hope and freedom. As with the previous two years, the pairing of artist and venue had to be just right. The Connection: Community Inclusive Recreation […]
Girl born with gross motor skill delays learns to crawl, walk
By Molly Cartwright Emily Callahan, like any other 18-month-old, likes playing with her stuffed animals. A year ago, however, her mother, Heather Callahan, was worried that Emily wasn’t showing signs of physical development. Babies typically begin crawling between 6 and 10 months. By the time Emily was 6 months old, she hadn’t yet started rolling over. […]
‘Good enough’ isn’t good enough for master pistol shooter
By Molly Cartwright After Larry Mennetti survived a hemorrhagic stroke, he was eager to get better, in spite of the hard work and determination required to get there. When he came to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, the entire right side of his body was unresponsive. He couldn’t sit up, walk or speak clearly. He […]
Truck driver finds relief from pain in the Return to Work Program
By Molly Cartwright Jay Bessey, an over-the-road truck driver, is used to driving 45 weeks out of the year. When injuries in 2009 and 2010 prevented him from working, Jay grew restless. He wouldn’t accept that he would never be able to do his job again. In 2009, Jay was at a truck stop when […]
Not expected to live following motorcycle crash, patient is back on his feet
Roger Valentine, 79, wasn’t expected to live after a serious motorcycle accident. He suffered multiple traumas, ranging from a broken pelvis to a fractured spine. Three months after his phyisical rehabilitation began, Roger is back on his feet – and helping those around him.
After brain tumor removal, retiree looks ahead to living a normal, busy life again
by Molly Cartwright Mike Patterson and his wife, Cecilia, know that Mike was able to make as much progress as he did during his time at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital because of his positive attitude. In May, doctors discovered and removed a malignant tumor in Mike’s brain. Without the surgery, Mike would have had […]
Cancer survivor plays wheelchair tennis against able-bodied competitors
by Kate Snider Jess Sporte, 23, lost her leg to cancer when she was just 4 months old. Jess uses crutches for short distances and a wheelchair for longer distances. She received outpatient care from the Center for Limb Differences at Mary Free Bed until she was 21 years old. Growing up, Jess watched from the sidelines as […]
Patient helps other amputees by starting support group
by Kate Snider In July 2002, Dennis Vandereist’s car was struck by another vehicle, hit a fire hydrant and rolled. Dennis, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from the vehicle, his left leg was pinned between the driver’s door and the ground. Dennis was taken to Holland Hospital, then flown to Spectrum Health where doctors tried […]
Teen recovers at Mary Free Bed after brain tumor
by Kate Snider Fifteen-year-old Brenden Haas had been vomiting regularly for 7 months when he collapsed at his home. At the beginning of his illness, Brenden’s stomach didn’t feel right and he began vomiting in the morning. When it became apparent that his vomiting wasn’t because of the flu, his parents took him to a […]
After traumatic brain injury, man learns to walk again, gets his life back
By Molly Cartwright For Eric De Ryke, learning to drive again was a triumph. His family and doctors thought so, too, since just 5 months ago they expected him to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Today, Eric is able to walk, drive and do his own laundry. For the 22-year-old, these […]
Struck by drunk driver, amputee prepares for Paralympics
by Kate Snider Melanie Johnson was riding her motorcycle to her nephew’s football game in September 2004 when she was struck by a drunk driver. The life-changing accident happened just 5 miles from home. “I knew it was really bad when I heard the helicopter,” Melanie said. “I remember thinking, if they had to call […]