Man walks again after sustaining spinal cord damage from aortic aneurysm
Many of us have heard these kinds of motivational statements before. But when you experience a life changing event, these words take on a whole new meaning. Randy Ribble, 64, was enjoying an ordinary evening in May when it took an unfortunate turn. “I was settling in for the night, and of all of sudden […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
Pat Besta: “Don’t assume you can’t do something because of your disability”
by Linda Truong “Once something like this happens to you, you don’t know what to do or what’s going to happen to you,” said Pat Besta, referring to the spinal cord injury he sustained in a car accident. Twenty years ago, after his vehicle landed in a ditch, Pat suffered artery damage resulting in severe blood […]
Saeboflex therapy helps stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury patients
Twenty-year-old Nicole has a history of cerebral palsy. In 2007 she underwent surgery for a brain hemmorage, which caused severe weakness and increased spasticity in her right leg and arm. Nicole has participated in therapy for the past three years at Mary Free Bed and at home. Part of her therapy includes the SaeboFlex to […]
A Mary Free Bed love story
Eighteen years ago, Shelly Loose received a call inviting her on the adventure of a lifetime. She and Ken, her fiancé at the time, were asked if they’d like to be married on the TV show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. For Shelly, a longtime fan of Kathie Lee Gifford and an expectant bride […]
Grand Rapids artist Carol Roeda and Mary Free Bed partner for ArtPrize
When the ArtPrize® pairing of artists and venues began, Carol Roeda, a Grand Rapids-based artist, and Mary Free Bed wanted a meaningful connection if they were going to participate in the international art competition held in downtown Grand Rapids. Even before Carol entered her proposal on the ArtPrize website, she knew if she was […]
Spinal cord injury patient embraces life
by Diane Teall Battle Creek native Mitchell Chapman, 17, embraces life, be it good or bad. He’s experienced his share of both this year. Mitch transferred to Mary Free Bed from Borgess this past fall after a severe car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. He had lost control of his car and […]
“I was dropped off in heaven, and surrounded by angels.”
On a crisp Saturday in February 2009, 67-year-old Phil Stefanich gathered with friends at a cottage in Grayling to go cross-country skiing. “I was just skiing along, enjoying the scenery, when my skis got away from me,” Phil says. “I flipped up into the air, came down flat on my back and my head whiplashed.” […]
“The people around me give me strength”
Kyle Dockery, 15, had a strange tingling sensation one afternoon in November 2009 at his high school wrestling practice. He told his coach he wasn’t feeling well, complaining of tingling limbs and an aching head. Suddenly, Kyle collapsed. Doctors in Lansing suspected a spinal stroke. Twelve days after his injury Kyle’s mother, Shervonda Dockery, decided to have Kyle transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation […]
Day at the playground ends in life-changing spinal cord injury
On a beautiful May day in 2009, Kate Clark and her 4-year-old Gwyneth packed a lunch and went to Kate’s son William’s school. While on the playground playing tag with her children and their schoolmates, a student standing on top of the slide jumped and landed on Kate. The boy’s elbow was shattered; Kate was paralyzed from the neck down. “I remember my sweet daughter […]