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…
Two patients at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital have bonded after recreational therapists brought them together for a game of cards. Ben Marshall came to Mary Free Bed in early November after surgeries to repair damage to vertebrae in his neck. He was injured in a 2010 workplace accident and also experienced other illnesses and…
From our experts: Dr. Evan Parks is a clinical psychologist in Mary Free Bed’s Pain Rehabilitation Program. Physical and emotional health are closely linked, and psychology plays a significant role in chronic pain management. We picture our life moving forward, accomplishing goals and enjoying good relationships. When chronic pain enters that picture, many of the…
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…
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…
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….
From our experts: Jessi Holden is a registered dietitian/nutritionist at Mary Free Bed. In this blog, she shares 10 small lifestyle changes you can make now. The most common New Year’s resolutions focus on getting healthy – eating better, losing weight or exercising more. We tend to set these goals without outlining the steps to…
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…
Guest blog: Dr. James Hudson is medical director of the Pain Rehabilitation program. He’s specialized in the treatment and management of patients with chronic pain at Mary Free Bed for more than 30 years. He leads a specialized team of doctors and therapists who use a rehabilitation approach to pain management. In this blog, Dr….
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….
