A playground is a happy place where children can explore, learn and grow. At Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, it’s also a haven for healing, hope and freedom. Mary’s Therapy Playground is a joyful new space where the hospital’s youngest patients can work on their rehabilitation goals in a safe, secure and accessible environment. The…
Ann Ward has a posse of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild, and she doesn’t have time for pain. The retired Grattan Township paramedic suffered from near-disabling back pain and came to the Mary Free Bed Spine Center for treatment. In this video, Ann shares how Spine Center specialists helped identify the source of her pain…
Samantha Beckhorn thought her life was “shattered and broken” after she woke up at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, unable to move. Diagnosed with autoimmune-related encephalitis and transverse myelitis, Sam came to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation following a month in the Intensive Care Unit at Sparrow. That’s when she changed her mindset. “I was like…
Andria Kiel joined the Mary Free Bed Weight Management Program hoping to drop weight for good. Through participation in the program’s 20-week Foundation class followed by the year-round Stride program, Andria’s goals evolved into achieving lifelong health and wellness. She recently completed her first 5K. In this blog, Andria shares her experience: Why did you…
Kristy Reuss suffered with back pain for nearly two years. At one point, her pain was so debilitating she was unable to stand or walk and missed a month of work. Diagnosed with a disc herniation between the L5 and S1 vertebrae in her spine, Kristy’s course of treatment provided some relief but only for…
Kendall Hicks is a bubbly 14-year-old with sparkling green eyes who loves playing the flute in the middle school band and cuddling with her guinea pig, Levi. Hangouts with friends typically turn into laugh-fests. And laughter, as the saying goes, is the best medicine. Walking into Kendall’s room at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, a…
Mariah Bruff always knew she wanted to become a teacher, but she didn’t expect a hospital to be her classroom and its youngest patients to be her students. Mariah studied education at Grand Valley State University, but found teaching in front of a large group in a small classroom wasn’t for her. Her sister, a…
Mary Free Bed’s Weight Management Program uses a team-based approach to weight loss – a physician, registered dietitian, psychologist and an exercise physiologist all play an integral part in each patient’s success. Participants lose an average of 29.5 pounds or 11.58 percent of their body weight during the first 20-week phase of the program, and…
In commemoration of President Gerald R. Ford’s 105th birthday, several U.S. Navy sailors from the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) — the newest and most high-tech aircraft carrier — are spending a few days in Ford’s hometown of Grand Rapids. The crew members included some Michigan residents: Lt. Sarah Brower; Grand Haven, Mich. Chief…
For information about West Nile virus activity in Michigan and how to protect yourself, visit the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services website here. Al Walczak always looks forward to summer, to warm days when he can putz around his backyard garden, walk along Millennium Park’s winding trails and settle in on his front…
