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Tag: TBI

#SamStrong: A Village Rallies for Teen after his Traumatic Brain Injury

In September, 16-year-old Sam Smalldon was airlifted to Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital after a car crash. Sam was driving in his hometown of Holland, when he lost control of his Chevy Cruze, hit several trees and was thrown from the car. The impact was so violent, the car split in two. Sam suffered […]

Lids for Kids and the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet

At Mary Free Bed, we treat hundreds of people each year in our brain injury programs with a focus on helping each patient reach his or her maximum potential. Helmet use while riding a bicycle has been estimated to reduce the odds of head injury by 50 percent according to statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. […]

Have fun in the sun with these summer safety tips

Summer means the long-awaited return of time-honored activities, like weekend trips to the lake, family bike rides and other outdoor adventures. Unfortunately, the end of the school year also signals the start of trauma season, a period when medical facilities and physicians see a rise in serious and fatal unintentional injuries involving everything from motorcycle and lawn mowers to swimming […]

In sickness and in health: Mary Free Bed alums celebrate 50th anniversary

John and Linda Pincumbe plan to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in a big way this summer. The event will be quite a milestone, considering that an October 2013 car crash nearly killed them both. After the accident, the Pincumbes spent 9 months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers before returning home to Schoolcraft last summer. […]

Back in the Swing of Things – Update on Ozzie Koroma

After a fateful night in March that landed him at Mary Free Bed – and in the headlines – 24-year-old Osman Koroma is back at work and looking forward to returning to Grand Rapids Community College this fall. “Ozzie,” who lost his sight due to cataracts at the age of 14, was hit by a […]

Devon Goebel: A Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital Story

Editor’s note: As part of our holiday campaign, Mary Free Bed is asking former patients to tell us about their rehabilitation experience. What follows is one of those stories. Robin Bilotti’s Story: “I think I will end up being myself.” This was the prophetic note that my 17-year-old daughter, Devon Goebel, wrote when she was […]

Melisa Davis Moore – A Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Story

Editor’s note: As part of our holiday campaign, Mary Free Bed is asking former patients to tell us about their rehabilitation experience. What follows is one of those stories. My son, Gabriel, experienced a traumatic brain injury due to a car accident on Aug. 16, 2001. He was 4 at the time. Gabriel was airlifted […]

Jason Ratliff – A Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Story

Editor’s note: As part of our holiday campaign, Mary Free Bed is asking former patients to tell us about their rehabilitation experience. What follows is one of those stories My husband, Jason, was a patient at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital this past summer. Jason experienced a traumatic brain injury as a result of a […]

Man Recovers from Brain Injury and Dances with His Bride

Editor’s Note: Chad Brooks is a graduate of Mary Free Bed’s Brain Injury Program. His wife, Sarah, agreed to write a guest blog about his recovery. Precisely four months before our wedding, the only thing on my mind and on Chad’s mind were invitations and party plans. But on April 24, 2013, everything changed. Chad was involved in […]

Faith and Hope Helps Man Recover from Traumatic Brain Injury

  Dave Meinema suffered a traumatic brain injury from a severe car accident in February 2013. His faith and hope has led him to a remarkable recovery. “It is a miracle that I’m here today,” says Dave. Read more about Dave and Marissa’s journey on their CaringBridge page.

After traumatic brain injury, man learns to walk again, gets his life back

By Molly Cartwright For Eric De Ryke, learning to drive again was a triumph. His family and doctors thought so, too, since just 5 months ago they expected him to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Today, Eric is able to walk, drive and do his own laundry. For the 22-year-old, these […]

Patient dedicates life to physical therapy after recovering from brain injury

by Linda Truong In 1999, a propane truck smashed into Pete Cook’s car leaving him with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). An emergency medical technician witnessed the accident and came to Pete’s rescue, caring for him until a trauma team arrived. Pete was airlifted by helicopter to Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids. Pete was in […]

Finding her place

In January, Jan Levering took her kids sledding after working two 12-hour shifts as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse. Exhausted, she decided to take one run down the sledding hill before sleeping in the car. Halfway down the hill, the sled turned 90 degrees and launched Jan 3 feet in the air. She […]

Daughter tells story of dad’s recovery from brain aneurysm

by Jessica Sikkenga It’s been two years since my Dad, then 53 years old, suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm. The amazing neurosurgeons at Spectrum Health performed a lengthy brain surgery on September 27, 2008, to place a clip on my Dad’s aneurysm. My family and I spent the two weeks following surgery by my […]

Told he’d never walk or talk again, brain injury patient lives full life

by Kate Snider “Ten percent of life is what happens to you, the other 90 percent is how you react to what happens,” said Travis Zinger as he recalled what he learned during rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed. On a snowy day in December 1993, Travis, then 13 years old, and some friends were going […]