West MI Whitecaps Players Bring Smiles with Heartwarming Visit
Two West Michigan Whitecaps players took time out of their schedules ahead of playoff season to meet with kids patients at the Mary Free Bed Grand Rapids Campus. Lucas Bradshaw is recovering from a brain injury in the Mary Free Bed Kids Inpatient Rehabilitation Program. He’s a huge baseball fan, so he took advantage of […]
Mary Free Bed Climbs to 9th Best Rehabilitation Hospital in Nation
After breaking into the top 10 last year, Mary Free Bed climbs again in the rankings to be the 9th Best Rehabilitation Hospital in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. National rankings like these are extremely helpful to patients in the midst of recovery, as they begin to look for rehabilitation services. […]
Jack’s Journey: Calling on Superheroes of Integrated Care
At first glance, it might appear as though 4-year-old Jack Lohman is playing an imaginary game with his superhero figurines – but this little boy is on a mission. He’s channeling his inner Batman on the journey of a lifetime. At 3 years old, Jack was diagnosed with hemimegaloencephaly, a rare condition that causes part […]
Mary Free Bed Hosts 4th Annual Mary & Brite Celebration
This week, the team at Mary Free Bed brought the joy of the holiday season to patients in rehabilitation. The fourth annual Mary & Brite holiday event returned to the Main Campus in Grand Rapids for patients and their families. Inspired by the Christmas Lite Show at LMCU Ballpark, patients were invited to walk or […]
Mary Free Bed Kids Celebrate Diversity Month in the Kitchen
In recognition of Diversity Month, patients at Mary Free Bed Kids celebrated with a culinary twist! All month long, six teenagers who are patients at Mary Free Bed’s pediatric inpatient program in Grand Rapids along with their parents and staff, celebrated different heritages in the Mary Free Bed therapy kitchen. Each week, the creative team […]
Encouraged by heartfelt support, Olivia and Alex ‘fight to beat this together’
Olivia Ancil’s story of recovery is about faith over fear and perseverance over pain. It’s also one of hope and the undeniable power of love. On May 28, the young nurse was leaving a specialty certification class at Holland Hospital to spend time with her boyfriend, Alex Arent. Just 22 and a recent graduate of […]
After car crash, quick access to rehabilitation improved Kim’s recovery
For Kim Laskus, “life was great, life was wonderful, I had no complaints.” Then the 60-year-old Grand Rapids woman was involved in a car crash “and everything changed.” Kim was driving to work on Feb. 19 when the crash occurred. She sustained serious injuries, including a broken neck, hip and femur. Laskus was taken to […]
Al remains ‘hard working and dedicated to his recovery’ from West Nile virus
For information about West Nile virus activity in Michigan and how to protect yourself, visit the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services website. It’s been more than three years since a mosquito bite changed the course of Al Walczak’s life. A small insect infected with the West Nile virus caused Al to develop serious […]
Cindy marks her recovery a year after crash with video thanking doctors
Cindy Broekhuizen recently celebrated a milestone and wanted to mark the occasion with her doctors and team at Mary Free Bed. But with the COVID-19 pandemic cutting off visitation to the hospital, Cindy created a video to show her appreciation instead. She and her husband, Barry, agreed to let us share it with everyone. Cindy […]
‘Team Lorraine’ cheers on family matriarch recovering at Mary Free Bed
Lorraine Micketti has been a patient in Mary Free Bed’s Sub-Acute Rehabilitation Unit since April 2. Unable to have visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 91-year-old Rogers City resident was missing her family. So, her care manager, Emily Bialecki, helped arrange a surprise. On a recent afternoon, Emily brought Lorraine from her room on the fifth floor downstairs for a different view outside. When […]
Faith, hope fuel ‘Miracle Malachi’s’ recovery from traumatic brain injury
One of life’s greatest lessons is how quickly it can change in a split second. That’s why, when the Griffin family gathers this week to celebrate Thanksgiving, they’ll give thanks for second chances. “We look for every moment we can to celebrate,” said Thomas Griffin, his son, Malachi, sitting by his side. They were visiting […]
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 […]
Love is in the air: Rick’s rehabilitation team helps bring daughter’s wedding to Mary Free Bed
When patients and their loved ones come to Mary Free Bed, they become part of the Mary Free Bed family, and “family’s the most important thing.” That’s why Rick Kitchen’s wife, Beth, and daughter, Jaslyn, united with his Mary Free Bed team to make sure he’d be part of a very special family celebration. Rick […]
She’s got the beat: Cardio drumming fuels Marian’s recovery
Marian Johnson is tapping into her drumming skills and rocking her rehabilitation. Marian, who turns 85 next month, came to Mary Free Bed to gain strength and stamina after a recent illness left her weakened. When recreational therapist Katie Harrington asked Marian what type of activities she enjoys, she shared her love for cardio drumming. […]
Cameron’s recovery from spinal cord injury inspires sister’s career in occupational therapy
Life sometimes has a funny way of coming full circle. The journey began for the Tacey family on April 18, 2004. Cameron Tacey was 16 when he injured his spinal cord in a car accident near his Bay City home. His parents were told he may not survive and if he did, that he’d likely […]
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 […]
Euchre brings two Mary Free Bed patients together during recreational therapy sessions
Two patients at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have bonded after recreational therapists brought them together for a game of cards. Ben Marshall came to Mary Free Bed in early November after surgeries to repair damage to vertebrae in his neck. He was injured in a 2010 workplace accident and also experienced other illnesses and […]
Becky battles Guillain-Barre Syndrome with support from Mercy Health Muskegon, Mary Free Bed
On Dec. 23, Becky Ray was preparing for her family’s Christmas celebration when she felt tingling and numbness in her toes and fingers. Alarmed, she went to the emergency room at Mercy Health Muskegon’s Hackley campus. Test results were inconclusive, and her symptoms were attributed to anxiety. “I’m a super busy mom-on-the-go,” said Becky, 44. […]
Care granted: Gabriel uses personal experience after spinal cord injury to help others
Gabriel Grant was an 18-year-old high school graduate looking forward to going to Grand Rapids Community College to play golf as a walk on. But when a tire blew on the car he was riding in, Gabriel’s life took a different path. Gabriel broke his neck and became a quadriplegic in the 2009 crash. After […]
‘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 […]
UPDATE: Julie Scheving celebrates milestones after surviving massive stroke
Updated April 18, 2019 On an April day 10 years ago, Julie Scheving’s life changed. The former Holland resident experienced a massive stroke that limited her ability to talk and move. But when she began her rehabilitation journey at Mary Free Bed, Julie took steps to get her life back. And she’s done just that. […]
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 […]
From caregiver to patient: Mary Free Bed physician assistant says experience provided new perspective
Guest blog: Doris Jacobs is a physician assistant at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. When Doris needed rehabilitation following back-to-back emergency surgeries, the caregiver became the patient. She says that experience gave her a deeper understanding of her own patients’ needs. When I became a physician assistant in 2005, I was fortunate enough to work […]
Travis on ‘road to a healthier life’ with help from Bronson, Mary Free Bed
Travis Laws was determined to get his life back and knew it wouldn’t be easy. Bedridden for several years, the 46-year-old from Allegan had significant health issues, including a large mass on his right leg. He weighed nearly 1,300 pounds. Specialists from Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo cared for Travis and developed a diet and […]
Shorty first patient to graduate from Ventilator and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed
Herb “Shorty” Monroe was seriously injured in a July car crash just a mile from where he works. He was taken by ambulance to Ascension Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, where doctors discovered Shorty had a spinal cord injury that required surgery, as well as spinal fractures, broken ribs and bruised lungs. He needed a ventilator […]
Lila’s recovery from internal decapitation called miraculous
An August car crash near her Cedar Springs home left Lila DeLine with a life-threatening spinal cord injury. Essentially, she was internally decapitated when the force of the impact separated her skull from her spine, an injury that most often proves fatal. But Lila defied the odds. She was an inpatient at Spectrum Health for […]
Recovery from rare West Nile virus a life-changing journey for Al Walczak: ‘I just want to live’
For information about West Nile virus activity in Michigan and how to protect yourself, visit the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services website here. Al Walczak always looks forward to summer, to warm days when he can putz around his backyard garden, walk along Millennium Park’s winding trails and settle in on his front […]
Robert chooses Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation after spinal cord injury
Robert Hoag was talking with his son during a barbecue when he accidentally fell off the deck of his Crystal, Michigan home. He initially was diagnosed with a torn meniscus, but Robert later began to lose feeling from his waist down. He returned to the doctor and an MRI revealed a spinal cord injury. After […]
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 […]
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. […]