Sharlet Alagia was walking across the street when she was struck by a car in the crosswalk. The impact broke her back, and Sharlet underwent emergency surgery at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo to repair the injury to her spinal cord. When she came to Mary Free Bed four days after the accident, Sharlet could…
Read More
The Mary Free Bed Junior Pacers once again captured a national championship at the 2018 National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, and coach Lee Montgomery couldn’t be more proud. “We had some ups and downs throughout the tournament, but these kids never gave up,” Montgomery said. “They never gave up.” The Junior Pacers –…
Read More
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. – Nicholas Burrell comes to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital each week for outpatient therapy, traveling about 90 minutes from his home north of Shelby, Michigan. It’s a fairly long trek, but staying overnight at the Inn at Mary Free Bed makes it possible. Nicholas, 32, arrives in the afternoon for a…
Read More
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….
Read More
When patients graduate from Mary Free Bed, they’re given a green T-shirt signed by those who cared for them. The messages for Ella Merrill contained a couple of key words: “amazing” and “miracle.” And rightly so. When Ella came to Mary Free Bed on Dec. 29, the 16-year-old from Edwardsburg, Michigan, was in a coma….
Read More
Anthony White was catching a nap during the 18-hour trek back to college in Wyoming from his home in Michigan when his friend fell asleep at the wheel. The car careened off the road, striking a group of trees. His friend was OK, but Anthony sustained life-threatening injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. “My parents…
Read More
Eric Lake, a pain psychologist with Mary Free Bed’s Pain Center, has learned to “listen to his body” and focus on his wellness goals with help from Mary Free Bed’s Weight Management Program. To support the weight-loss success he achieved in the program’s Foundation phase, Eric committed to the next phase of the program —…
Read More
In 2015, Dario Cook was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that affects the spine and can lead to severe, chronic pain. That was nearly eight years after he first experienced symptoms, collapsing in pain while walking to work. He initially was diagnosed with a hip strain, but the pain never really went…
Read More
Bobby Decair has constantly reminded himself to not quit since Jan. 25, 2016 – his first day at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Just days earlier, Bobby sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury when his truck slid on black ice and flipped multiple times. “I just held on,” said Bobby, recalling the accident. He said…
Read More
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids area hospitals are working to meet the challenge of caring for our community during this CDC-declared flu epidemic. One of the most important tools in fighting the transmission of flu is limiting exposure. The flu can be especially dangerous to the young, frail or elderly. For the safety of…
Read More
