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 […]
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 […]
National Disability Independence Day: Celebrating 33 Years of Progress
July 26, 2023, marks the 33rd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. It’s commemorated as National Disability Independence Day. The landmark civil rights law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life – including employment, education, transportation, and public accommodations. The goal is to […]
Tough Like a Monster Truck: Kaden Recovers After Double Amputation
“He’s my everything,” said Michele Stevenson, about her son, Kaden. When he started to get sick before Christmas, she didn’t think it was serious at first. But after a few days she knew something was wrong. As 7-year-old Kaden’s health grew getting progressively worse. Michele, of Grand Blanc, Michigan, rushed him to the emergency […]
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 […]
Recreational power soccer team forming for power wheelchair users
Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports program is gearing up to add power soccer to its roster of teams for people with disabilities. It will join more than 250 teams from around the world competing in one of the fastest-growing sports on four wheels. Power soccer is the first competitive team sport designed for […]
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 […]
Halloween Heroes celebrate in style
Kids love Halloween, and volunteers from the community and Mary Free Bed made sure 35 current and former patients were able to celebrate in a special way. The fourth annual Halloween Heroes Parade marched around Mary Free Bed and Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Hospital on Oct. 26, with the Forest Hills Central Marching Band leading […]
Heroes Bash a party of galactic proportions for Mary Free Bed Kids graduates
The Force is strong in the Mary Free Bed family. The mysterious energy field in the fictional “Star Wars” universe provides extraordinary abilities to those who possess it, binding the galaxy together. The magical power of the Force bears similarities to Mary Free Bed’s unique culture and the special bond between caregivers and patients. […]
Divya’s new adventures a year after traveling from India for surgery, rehabilitation
UPDATE Oct. 3, 2019: A year ago, Divya Harkema couldn’t stand by herself. Today, she swims and rides horses in her native India. Merissa Harkema brought her adopted daughter to Grand Rapids in September 2018 for surgery to reduce problems caused by spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital was one of a limited […]
Paige heads back to school after spinal cord injury
Summer took a scary turn for the Baird family when their eight-year-old daughter fell from the deck of a cottage in Northern Michigan. Paige wasn’t breathing and had to be resuscitated. She was taken to Munson Healthcare in Cadillac, where doctors determined Paige broke the C2 vertebrae in her neck and bruised her spinal cord. […]
Full Peds Ahead’ initiative betters access to care, creates brighter futures for Mary Free Bed kids
Improving the lives of children and teens with disabilities has been an important part of Mary Free Bed’s mission for more than a century. Recently renamed Mary Free Bed Kids, specialized programs and services continue to evolve with exciting potential. Mary Free Bed is the only inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Michigan with a secure unit […]
Devyn turns sadness from stares into drive to help others with limb differences
Eight-year-old Devyn Whitney has a pink prosthetic leg decorated with pretty sugar skull owls that glow in the dark. It drew a lot of attention on a hot day last summer, when Devyn and her family visited an art fair in their hometown of St. Joseph. And not in a good way. “I was scared […]
Evelyn thrives in face of rare diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta
Evelyn Franchetti is a typical 3½-year-old. She loves singing and dancing, princesses and puppies. When she arrives at preschool, Evelyn looks around the classroom and declares “These are my friends!” before scampering off to play, protected by her bright red walker. The happy-go-lucky little girl doesn’t need the device to help her walk. It’s a […]
Charlotte makes great gains with outpatient pediatric rehabilitation: ‘We were looking for hope’
UPDATE: After their daughter, Charlotte, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was about six months old, Kristine Hendricks and her husband, Matt, knew early intervention would have a positive impact on her quality of life. So, every Tuesday morning, Kristine drove Charlotte to Mary Free Bed for therapy. “It was about two years ago […]
Mary’s Therapy Playground provides a fun, healing space for youngest patients
A playground is a happy place where children can explore, learn and grow. At Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, it’s also a haven for healing, hope and freedom. Mary’s Therapy Playground is a joyful new space where the hospital’s youngest patients can work on their rehabilitation goals in a safe, secure and accessible environment. The […]
Teen tackles rehabilitation from serious illness with self-motivation and her Mary Free Bed team
Samantha Beckhorn thought her life was “shattered and broken” after she woke up at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, unable to move. Diagnosed with autoimmune-related encephalitis and transverse myelitis, Sam came to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation following a month in the Intensive Care Unit at Sparrow. That’s when she changed her mindset. “I was like […]
Hard work, lots of laughter help 14-year-old Kendall on long path to recovery
Kendall Hicks is a bubbly 14-year-old with sparkling green eyes who loves playing the flute in the middle school band and cuddling with her guinea pig, Levi. Hangouts with friends typically turn into laugh-fests. And laughter, as the saying goes, is the best medicine. Walking into Kendall’s room at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, a […]
Shriners Hospitals for Children partners with Mary Free Bed to launch telehealth program
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Michigan families will have more convenient visits with their specialists and reduced transportation costs thanks to a new collaboration between Chicago and Cincinnati Shriners Hospitals for Children and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Instead of making out-of-state trips, young patients and their families can receive consultations from […]
Harper excels after surgery to remove brain tumor with participation in intensive Pediatric Day Rehab program
Harper Gallagher hadn’t been feeling well. When her mom, Stephanie, asked the 2-year-old what was wrong, Harper touched the top of her head. The toddler wasn’t sleeping and was experiencing severe headaches. After several trips to her pediatrician’s office and medical tests, doctors discovered Harper had Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma, a rare brain tumor. “It was […]
Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports motivates 10-year-old Ginessa to compete
Ginessa Aguirre is a spunky 10-year-old with a long brown ponytail who likes making slime, watching YouTube and cuddling with her cat, Smokey. She also likes cooking and baking with her mom, Nora. But what Ginessa likes most is playing basketball. “I like to steal the ball,” she said. See? Spunky. Ginessa plays for the […]
New coloring book introduces Mary Free Bed pediatric patients to ‘Hope and Freedom League’
Pediatric patients at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have a fun way to get to know their team of physicians, therapists, nurses and caregivers – otherwise known as the “Hope and Freedom League.” A new coloring book introduces the hospital’s youngest patients to the superheroes whose special powers will help them “get better at lightning […]
Halloween for the Rest of Us costume parade a treat for kids who use wheelchairs
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital once again is teaming with community volunteers to make Halloween a little more magical for kids who use wheelchairs. Costume construction is nearly complete for more than a dozen current and former Mary Free Bed patients, who will get to show off their awesome creations in the Halloween for the […]
Heroes Bash to celebrate Mary Free Bed pediatric patients
Updated Oct. 24 with the above images from the Oct. 20 event. Click here for additional photos Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital will celebrate its youngest patients and their families at “Heroes Bash 2017.” Current Pediatric Program patients and many who graduated this year are among more than 120 people expected to attend tonight’s superhero-themed […]
Arlee Rodgers tackles cerebral palsy with determination and a lot of spunk
Guest blog: Jynel Rodgers shares her daughter, Arlee’s, story and how Mary Free Bed’s pediatric rehabilitation specialists have helped put her on the path to independence following Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery to treat cerebral palsy. Scroll to the bottom of the page to watch her heartwarming video story. Arlee is 7 1/2 years old. She […]
Smith family ‘very hopeful’ as 6-year-old recovers from influenza-induced encephalitis
Celebrating the New Year and what the future holds has taken on new meaning for Tesfa and Brooke Smith. The Smiths are treasuring family time with their twin daughters, Amarie and Adalie, since returning to their Big Rapids home Dec. 22, just in time to spend the holidays and welcome 2017. “This year will be […]
Parade a tricked-out Halloween treat for pediatric patients
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital teamed with Grand Valley State University engineering students, Owen-Ames-Kimball commercial construction company, the Grand Rapids Police Department, various community volunteers and Grand Rapids parents Chris and Jane Weatherford to make magnificent memories this Halloween for young patients in wheelchairs. Over the years, Chris and Jane have transformed their 9-year-old son […]
West Michigan Whitecaps visit Mary Free Bed
Four members of the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Class A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, visited Mary Free Bed on Thursday, Sept. 1, to the joy of pediatric and adult patients alike. Catcher Shane Zeile along with pitchers Sandy Baez, Mark Ecker and Beau Burrows posed for pictures, signed autographs and talked baseball with patients […]
Sasha Duval stands, walks for first time at Mary Free Bed
UPDATE: Sasha’s story has been reported by media near her Iowa hometown, including the Marion Times (A Family’s Blessing) and KCRG-TV9 (Teen lives out lifelong dream of walking). The TV station provided the story to its affiliates, and it has been shared by stations across 21 states. Guest blog: Sherrie Duval and her husband, James, […]
Teen injured in snowplow accident makes great strides
Loren Kroll said she was going to miss her team at Mary Free Bed when she graduated Aug. 4. The teenager, who was struck by a snowplow in January while waiting for the school bus, was critically injured and hospitalized for five months before coming to Mary Free Bed in May for rehabilitation. Loren sustained […]