OrthoSEAT mobile unit brings custom seating services to patients
Technology that enhances the lives of patients is a direct extension of Mary Free Bed’s mission to restore hope and freedom. OrthoSEAT is a specialized service for people who need wheelchairs to support their health and to empower them to do what they want to, when they want to do it. OrthoSEAT’s mobile unit brings […]
Kalamazoo bus driver who lost leg in crash ‘grateful to still be here’
La Shon Diallo was working overtime at her long-time job as a Kalamazoo Metro Transit bus driver to earn extra money for a new roof on her home. She remembers the traffic light turning green. Then she remembers waking up in the hospital. La Shon, 47, was seriously injured when a suspected drunken driver traveling […]
Jodi (Mata) Scott tackles adversity with hope, determination
Loss is a word Jodi (Mata) Scott knows all too well. In the span of three years, she lost three people she loved dearly: her mother, boyfriend and best friend. During that time, Jodi also lost all of her fingers and thumbs in a 2013 fire that destroyed her childhood home in Harrison, Mich. “It’s […]
Iraqi boy injured in missile attack returns to Mary Free Bed for new prosthesis
On April 28, 2008, just before his fifth birthday, Hamzah Al-Daeni was playing in his yard in Baghdad, Iraq, when a U.S. missile struck nearby. He was hit by shrapnel and injured so severely that he lost part of his stomach and his right leg had to be amputated. Two years later, traveling with his […]
Formerly conjoined twin Josie Hull works hard for independence
Josie Hull and her sister, Teresa, made national headlines 13 years ago when doctors separated the conjoined twins. Born in Guatemala, the girls were just one year old when they were brought to the United States for the 23-hour life-saving surgery at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Since then, both girls have made great […]
MyoPro’s myoelectric device helps Cindy regain use of arm after 19 years
UPDATE: Cindy’s amazing story has drawn attention from area media. The story also highlights the innovation of our care team and our relationship with Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. Here are links to those reports: Lansing State Journal WILX-TV 10 Cindy Pohl has been unable to use her left arm since being injured in a car […]
Jerrensia & Jen make national splash with message of inclusion
Guest blog by Jen Kroll, whose daughter Jerrensia has sought outpatient therapy at Mary Free Bed. This fall, Jen wrote a Facebook post about Target’s Halloween advertisement that included a little girl with leg braces and arm crutches. The post went viral and drew attention from Mashable, Upworthy and other publications. This is a follow-up […]
Scoliosis treatment uses teamwork and technology
Scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine, affects an estimated 7 million Americans. The spinal condition typically is diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, often discovered during back-to-school “well child” checkups. Mary Free Bed’s Orthotics & Prosthetics (O&P) professionals are well-versed in helping to fit patients of all ages with custom scoliosis braces. These specialized orthotic devices are […]
New pink helmet elicits lots of smiles [Photo Gallery]
Violet Pratt is a spunky 4-year-old. With big brown eyes and a wide smile, she twirls and laughs as she waits with her family in an Orthotics & Prosthetics examination room at Mary Free Bed. On this May afternoon, Violet is here to receive a helmet – “a pink one,” she tells Kim Nequist, the […]
Wheelchair basketball coach & player earns spot in national hall of fame
Lee Montgomery — a wheelchair basketball player and coach of Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports’ basketball teams, the Junior Pacers and the Adult Pacers — recently was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame. The coach’s relationship with Mary Free Bed spans more than 5 decades. Coach Lee, 57, was born with limb differences […]
Orthotics & Prosthetics now open in West addition
Mary Free Bed’s Orthotics & Prosthetics department has officially moved into its new home in the state-of-the-art West addition of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. All O&P services — prosthetics, orthotics, assistive technology and OrthoSEAT — are now housed together in one convenient location (Suite 1100 at 235 Wealthy St. SE). The move was completed […]
Woman Avoids Foot Surgery after Wearing Boots Made by Mary Free Bed’s Orthotics Program
Guest post: Laura Guzman shares her experience with the Mary Free Bed Orthotics Program. This is her story. Four years ago, I found out that after being diabetic for 45 years, the bones in my feet had softened and broken. I had a condition known as Charcot foot. There is no cure, but there are […]
A New Perspective on Life After Brain Injury
Jon is not the same person he was before the accident. According to his wife, he’s much milder and nicer. He appreciates his friends and family differently, and makes sure to say “I love you”. Many people who are told they weren’t expected to live tend to have at this new kind of perspective on […]
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 […]
Man with one hand builds airplanes
by Kate Snider In 1977, Dave Duperron was a 37-year-old firefighter in Taylor, Mich. He was married with 3 children and was a fire inspector at the time of his amputation. As a fire inspector, Dave would go help the firefighters when they needed an extra pair of hands. Dave went to help at a […]
Amputee patient now an Olympic hopeful
by Amanda Larsen A competitive athlete, Katie VanDam knows how to set goals and exceed them. When she stepped into a crosswalk on an October evening, she didn’t know how her life and her goals would change. A speeding SUV struck Katie and threw her into the middle of the road. Her friend, Jeremy, was […]
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 […]