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….
When Kevin and Beverly Battle were married 36 years ago, they took their vows to love each other in sickness and in health very seriously. Beverly was diagnosed with a rare genetic eye disorder that causes loss of vision. Her balance was affected, which led to falls, and she suffered back issues that required surgery….
Heather Galli is passionate about martial arts and the values it teaches. A third-degree black belt, Heather says honor, respect, discipline and hard work are principles she and her husband also instill in their children. Unfortunately, the 48-year-old’s years of training and teaching also took a toll on her body. She was diagnosed in 2018…
“The Git Up” is sliding its way across the country this summer, and Mary Free Bed has accepted the “two-step then cowboy boogie” challenge. Blanco Brown’s country-infused rap song lassoed the top spot on music charts, while the line-dance ditty ignited a viral dance challenge across social media. From police officers to celebrities to daddy-daughter…
On Dec. 23, Becky Ray was preparing for her family’s Christmas celebration when she felt tingling and numbness in her toes and fingers. Alarmed, she went to the emergency room at Mercy Health Muskegon’s Hackley campus. Test results were inconclusive, and her symptoms were attributed to anxiety. “I’m a super busy mom-on-the-go,” said Becky, 44….
Improving the lives of children and teens with disabilities has been an important part of Mary Free Bed’s mission for more than a century. Recently renamed Mary Free Bed Kids, specialized programs and services continue to evolve with exciting potential. Mary Free Bed is the only inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Michigan with a secure unit…
Gerry King suffered with debilitating pain for three years. It became so unbearable, the 75-year-old was unable to care for herself at her Kalamazoo home and began living in a nursing facility. “You get to a point where you think, OK, if I have to be this way for the rest of my life, so…
When Sule Christiansen arrived for the fourth time at Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp, she once again felt welcomed. “Everyone is so nice, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Sule, 18, who traveled from Plymouth to Grand Valley State University in Allendale. “You feel like you belong, because there are so many kids just like…
